A Rural Scene

Domestic activities such as peeling vegetables and drawing water from a well dominate a rural scene of bustling activity that revolves around a large tent. The background landscape features a grand city at center, highlighted by the sun’s rays, while a further city lies in the distance. At right a passing traveler, deep in conversation, is deftly robbed, an element that adds a narrative and moralizing twist. Animated preparatory work in black chalk, clearly visible beneath the pen lines, indicates the substantial planning that went into the composition of this imaginary scene. To create rich tonal effects the artist has used blue paper and abundant white heightening. The relatively large and impressive sheet was likely intended as a collector’s item and reflects the substantial demand for such products toward the end of the sixteenth century. Agostino Ciampelli’s work—in oil painting, fresco, and on paper—was sought after by patrons in his native Florence and in Rome, where he moved in the 1590s, and this drawing is typical of his lively draftsmanship.