Scuola Bolognese (XVII) — Susanna e i Vecchioni

From the golden age of Italian draughtsmanship, when Bologna rivalled Rome and Florence as a centre of artistic excellence, this watercolour and ink drawing presents one of the most enduring subjects in Western art: Susanna and the Elders.

The story, drawn from the Book of Daniel, tells of the virtuous Susanna, spied upon by two corrupt elders as she bathed in her garden. It is a tale of innocence threatened by power, of truth triumphing over falsehood — and it provided generations of artists with an irresistible combination of moral gravity and sensual beauty.

The Bolognese school of the early seventeenth century was characterised by a synthesis of Venetian colour and Roman form, producing works of extraordinary refinement and emotional depth. This drawing, executed with the confident, flowing line that distinguishes the best Bolognese draughtsmanship, captures the dramatic tension of the biblical narrative with remarkable economy of means.

Unsigned, as was common for workshop drawings of this period, the work speaks through its quality rather than its attribution. The composition, the handling of drapery, the expressive gestures of the figures — all point to an artist trained in the tradition of the Carracci academy, where drawing from life was elevated to the status of a sacred discipline.

Measuring 23.5 × 17 cm, this intimate work rewards close examination. Every line, every wash of colour, every subtle gradation of tone reveals the hand of a master working at the height of his powers.

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