Unknown artist, Flemish

Comparison of the drawing styles on the front and back of this sheet shows that both images were made by the same artist. The drawing on the recto side is copied from a woodcut, The Presentation of the Virgin at the Temple by the renowned German painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). In his series Life of the Virgin, Dürer portrayed the young Virgin Mary mounting the temple stairs. In this drawing, the artist omitted the central figure of the scene and extracted six figures from the crowd, abbreviating their features. These artistic choices, as well as the emphasis on the drapery, suggest that this is a costume study based on the Dürer print, rather than a finished work for sale. An examination of the incomplete figure study on the reverse of the sheet supports this conclusion. Here the artist focused even more dramatically on the costume and its puffy sleeves. Typical of 1630s dress, the costume itself provides us with an approximate date for the drawing. Although many elements in the two works are of fine quality, certain passages within the drawing are inarticulate, suggesting that the artist was a student: for example, the male figure clutching his hat. The action of the hand is not convincing, and the hat itself barely identifiable. It was common practice for artists to learn through copying from prints by master artists. The style of the drawing emulates Rubens and suggests a Flemish artist.