Study of a Boy in a Blue Jacket

Benedetto Luti

1717 · Pastel and chalk on blue laid paper, laid down on paste paper · European Paintings

Trained partly in Rome, where he settled in 1690, Luti enjoyed the patronage of Cosimo III de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. He was admitted to the Accademia di San Luca in 1694 and elected its principal in 1720. In addition to being a painter, draftsman, and pastelist, Luti was a connoisseur, collector, and dealer. His pastels fall into three groups: portraits, bearded male heads thought to represent apostles, and studies from the model. This work is the best of a number of versions of a study of a boy wearing a blue coat in which Luti conveys the disarming directness and sweetness of childhood.

Artist

Benedetto Luti

Date

1717

Medium

Pastel and chalk on blue laid paper, laid down on paste paper

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gwynne Andrews Fund, 2007