Manet Drawing Unearthed in Italy: A Hidden Gem

A red chalk drawing of a crouching child, recently discovered in a private Italian collection, has been attributed to the renowned French painter Édouard Manet. Art historian Emily Beeny, a specialist in 17th to 19th-century French art, identified the piece, sensing its significance upon first sight. The drawing strongly resembles a street urchin featured in Manet's masterpiece, "The Old Musician," a work intended to highlight the humanity of marginalized individuals.

Beeny noted distinctive stylistic markers characteristic of Manet, such as abrupt light and shadow transitions and unique finger details. Crucially, UV analysis uncovered a faded studio stamp belonging to Manet in the drawing's lower right corner. The artwork, measuring 20.5cm by 17.5cm, is squared for potential transfer to canvas, though no known composition matches this preparatory sketch.

Francesco Baccanelli, who initially noticed the drawing during a visit to a northern Italian collection, collaborated with Beeny. The owner had an inscription identifying it as Manet's work, but it had never been formally studied. Their findings are set to be published in the October issue of the Burlington Magazine. While its exact purpose remains a mystery, the drawing's history indicates it was sold twice in Germany and Switzerland during the 1930s.