Depicting a youth reclining on a bank, crowned with leaves like a young river god, this drawing is striking for its large size, anatomical accuracy and daring natural pose of the youthful sitter. One of a limited group of surviving life drawings executed in Bologna by Annibale Carracci in the mid-1580s, it is a testament to the young artist’s meticulous observation of the human body and expressive command of the red chalk medium. The central figure in Bolognese painting, Carracci was the most brilliant member of a family of artists that included his older brother Agostino and cousin Ludovico. Seeking an alternative to the artifice of the Mannerist style promoted in Florence and Rome, the three Carracci drew strongly from lesser-known regional styles and centered their teachings of their newly-founded Bolognese academy around life drawing. This drawing is still preserved in its 18th-century mount from the collection of Francesco Giusti, who amassed in Bologna an extraordinary selection of drawings by the champions of Emilian art (Carracci, Guido Reni and Guercino). (F.R.)