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Boy Drinking
About the Artwork
Together with his brother Agostino and cousin Lodovico, Annibale Carracci introduced artistic reforms in Italy based on close observation of the natural world. Annibale’s innovative and highly influential style steered a path between the smooth artificiality of Mannerism––in which style and technique took precedence over fidelity to nature––and the heightened drama of paintings by Caravaggio. In this remarkable early work, the coarse surface of the canvas, the inelegant subject matter, and the striking distortion of forms from light passing through glass all speak to his naturalistic approach.
Provenance
Lord Bateman, Shobdon Court, Herfordshire, England April 11, 1896: [Sale: The Property of the Rt. Hon. Lord Bateman, Christie's London, April 11, 1896, lot 145 as Velazquez] 1896-: John Hill Wood (1813-1869), Gatehead, Yorkshire, England, by inheritance to his son Sir John Wood 1st Bt. -1951: Sir John Wood 1st Bt. (1857-1951), Hengrave Hall, Bury St. Edmonds, Suffolk September 15-25, 1952: [Sale: The Contents of Hengrave Hall, Knight, Frank and Rutley, London, September 15-25, 1952, lot 1686] L. J. King, Esq., Dorchester, Dorset, by inheritance to his wife, Mrs. Mary King 1952-1984: Mrs. Mary King, Dorchester, Dorset, England 1984: [Sale: Lawrence’s of Crewkerne, England] July 11, 1985: [Sale: Old master Drawings and 17th, 18th and 19th century Oil Paintings, Bonhams, London, July 11, 1985, lot 5] 1985-: [Harari and [Derek] Johns, London, England, sold to Peter Jay Sharp] -1992: Peter Jay Sharp (1931-1992), New York, NY January 13, 1994: [Sale: The Estate Of Peter Jay Sharp, Sotheby's New York, January 13, 1994, lot 70, to the Cleveland Museum of Art] 1994-: The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history
Realism and Naturalism in the Art of Annibale Carracci. Allen Memorial Art Museum (organizer) (April 15-June 1, 1997). Masterpieces of European Painting from The Cleveland Museum of Art. Frick Collection, New York, NY (organizer) (November 8, 2006-January 28, 2007). Masterpieces of European Painting from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage, Beachwood, OH (March 29-July 8, 2007).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Annibale Carracci (Italian, c. 1560–1609)
- Date
- 1582–83
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- Framed: 79 x 67 x 5.5 cm (31 1/8 x 26 3/8 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 55.8 x 43.7 cm (21 15/16 x 17 3/16 in.)
- Type
- Painting
- Classification
- Painting
- Department
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
- Accession no.
- 1994.4
More by Annibale Carracci in museum collections
Drunken Silenus and Decorative Sketches: Studies for the Tazza Farnese (recto); Two Putti Fighting: Study for the Galleria Farnese (verso)
Annibale Carracci1599/1601 · Drawing
Landscape with Man Sleeping beneath Tree (recto); Landscape with a Horseman (verso)
Annibale Carracci1595 · Drawing
Study of Hercules Resting, with Separate Studies of His Head and Foot (recto); Rectangular grid design (verso)
Annibale Carracci1595/97 · Drawing
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00009240
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