Baccio Bandinelli in his studio holding a statuette of Venus, students sketching from a model by candlelight

Baccio Bandinelli|Agostino Veneziano (Agostino dei Musi)

1531 · Engraving · Drawings and Prints

According to the inscription, this dramatic interior night scene depicts young art students at the Belvedere art academy in Rome. The school was run by the Florentine sculptor Baccio Bandinelli, famous for his drawings of the human figure. He is represented here wearing a fur-collared coat and holding a statuette of Venus. Before the founding of the first official art academy in 1563, artists traditionally received their training through apprenticeships in a master’s workshop like this one.

Artist

Baccio Bandinelli|Agostino Veneziano (Agostino dei Musi)

Date

1531

Medium

Engraving

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1949