Room
3
The two small private devotional works from
Messina and New York, which are painted on
both sides and appear worn with use, are
characterized by an expert descriptive skill
that is almost miniaturist, especially the very
intense Ecce Homo from New York (recto).
These paintings, though so small in size,
reveal Antonello’s masterly art in capturing
profound emotions through a penetrating
study of reality. This kind of study is also
evident in the only two drawings attributed to
him. The first, purchased by the Louvre in
1983, depicts a Group of Women in a Piazza –
in which the tall residential buildings in
perspective are very reminiscent of those in
the background of the Saint Sebastian from
Dresden (Room 10) – and it is executed using
a very unusual, almost pointillist technique
that heightens the vibrant luminosity. The
second drawing, from America, once
considered as a preparatory sketch for the
Sibiu Crucifixion, depicts a group of women,
and its delicate execution would suggest that
it is probably a partial copy of the Paris
drawing made in Antonello’s workshop.
