Marcantonio Raimondi (Argius 1480-circa 1530 Bologna)

An early work by Raimondi, probably dating from the period of his apprenticeship in Bologna with Francesco Francia. Indeed the figure in this drawing can be compared to a very similarly posed figure of Minerva in Francia's drawing The Judgement of Paris (Albertina, Vienna, inv. 4859), which may suggest that Raimondi was directly reworking his master's design. In technique the present work has great similarities with another early drawing by Raimondi, A standing halberdier seen from behind, which also has the strong Mantegnesque influences visible in the present sheet (C.C. Gillham and C.H. Wood, European Drawings from the Collection of the Ackland Art Museum, exh. cat., Chapel Hill, Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina, 2001, no. 12).