Penitent St Jerome in a Rocky Landscape
by PIERO DI COSIMO, Charcoal, chalk, stylus on paper, 620 x 530 mm
This large drawing by Piero di Cosimo is a composite of multiple pieces of paper. The need for such a large surface suggests that the work was a cartoon created in preparation for a painting. The presence of stylus marks tracing the charcoal lines in certain parts of the drawing also indicates that the design was at least partially transferred onto another support, confirming its function as a preparatory study. However, the final work is not known.