Seated Man with a Book and a Scroll

Stefano da Verona (Stefano di Giovanni d'Arbosio di Francia)

first half 15th century · Pen and brown ink. · Robert Lehman Collection

This crowned figure, in the act of orating from a book, probably represents a Father of the Church or a biblical prophet. The inscriptions on the book and scroll do not appear to refer to a particular sacred text that could help in identifying the figure or its intended context. This sheet, along with examples from other collections, which portray similar figures in the act of writing and are annotated in a similar hand, may have served as ideas for an unknown pictorial cycle. While the figure’s facial features closely recall the style of Stefano da Verona, the mechanical quality of the drawing suggests it was produced by a member of his workshop.

Artist

Stefano da Verona (Stefano di Giovanni d'Arbosio di Francia)

Date

first half 15th century

Medium

Pen and brown ink.

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975