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Flowering Bush above an Eroded Bank
Also known as: Plants above an Eroded Bank; Study of Plants on a Bank
About the Artwork
Federico Barocci, who worked in Urbino, made landscape sketches for use in his paintings and as independent studies. The artist’s multimedia approach—combining chalks, ink washes, and opaque paints—was novel at the time but would become standard practice for landscape artists working in later centuries. Novel, as well, was his interest in excerpts of the natural world rather than fully realized scenes. Here, the artist drew an eroded bank with a few bold lines in black chalk, then used a brush to layer brown and white ink washes, capturing the untamed clump of earth with remarkable naturalism.
Inscriptions
lower right, in brown ink: del Barocci ; VERSO, across top, in brown ink: Originale del Barocci ; lower right, in graphite: D217EHLX
Provenance
c. 1844: Pietro (1760-1833) and Vincenzo (1771-1844) Camuccini, Rome dean of Chichester (letter in file) 1969: Sotheby's, Florence, October 18, 1969, lot D71 (Disegni di Proprieta di un Signore) 1970: with Faerber and Maison, Ltd., London 1973: with P & D Colnaghi & Co., Ltd, London
Exhibition history
Year in Review: 1973. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 30-March 17, 1974). The Graphic Art of Frederico Barocci. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 15-March 25, 1978); Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT (April 15-June 4, 1978). The Draftsman's Eye: Late Italian Renaissance Schools and Styles. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 6-April 22, 1979). Brush Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 3-May 10, 1981). Visions of Landscape: East and West. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982). Italian Drawings from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 16, 1986-March 1, 1987). Concept, Dogma and Feeling: Italian Drawings 1550-1650. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 27-October 20, 1991). Treasures on Paper from the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 9-June 8, 2014). Love Gardens / Forbidden Fruit. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 2-October 29, 2023).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Federico Barocci (Italian, 1528–1612)
- Date
- c. 1572–1604
- Medium
- black chalk, brush and brown wash, and lead white (partially oxidized), with traces of red chalk
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 20 x 13.2 cm (7 7/8 x 5 3/16 in.); Secondary Support: 30.4 x 22.9 cm (11 15/16 x 9 in.)
- Type
- Drawing
- Classification
- Drawing
- Department
- Drawings
- Credit line
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Accession no.
- 1973.171
More by Federico Barocci in museum collections
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-00010989
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