MICHELANGELO Buonarroti
(b. 1475, Caprese, d. 1564, Roma)

Male Nude, Seen from the Rear (recto)

1503-04
Black chalk, 218 x 174 mm
Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge

The present sheet shows both on the recto and the verso some of Michelangelo's initial ideas for the Battle of Cascina. The front depicts the head, torso, and buttocks of a male nude, seen from the rear, with his right arm raised. The back of the sheet depicts the lower body and upper legs of a male nude stepping toward the rear.