Mysterious Drawing Sat in a Private Collection for Decades. An Expert Says It’s by 19th-Century Painter Édouard Manet

A previously unpublished red chalk drawing attributed to the renowned 19th-century French artist Édouard Manet has resurfaced after decades of obscurity. The artwork, depicting a crouching child, was discovered in a private collection in northern Italy by art expert Francesco Baccanelli, who noticed an inscription on the back identifying it as Manet’s work. Despite its intriguing attribution, the piece had not been subject to prior scholarly examination, leaving its story largely untold.

Baccanelli’s curiosity was piqued, prompting him to contact Emily Beeny, an esteemed art historian and Manet specialist who serves as chief curator at the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. Upon receiving a photograph of the drawing, Beeny felt an immediate connection. “It just felt like: ‘Oh gosh, that’s exciting,’” she recounted. “Lots of people send me things they imagine might be by Manet, but this is the only one so far that has given me an immediate sense of recognition.”

The drawing in question, measuring approximately eight by seven inches, captures the essence of a crouching child in red chalk. Beeny believes that its style aligns with the life studies Manet produced during the 1850s and 1860s, a period when he was heavily influenced by Renaissance art that he had encountered in Florence. Notable characteristics of the drawing include the stark contrasts of light and shadow, as well as the artist’s signature depiction of “plump, tapered fingers.”

A significant finding emerged during further analysis of the piece. Ultraviolet testing uncovered a faded Manet studio stamp in the lower right corner, reinforcing the attribution made by Baccanelli. “I was completely captivated by it,” Baccanelli confessed. “The more I studied it, the more convinced I became that it was indeed a work by Manet.”

While the identity of the child remains a point of speculation, Beeny and Baccanelli considered the possibility that the figure might be Alexandre, a young assistant who posed for Manet during the late 1850s. However, they ultimately concluded that the drawing more likely depicts a girl, approximately six years old. This observation opens up a compelling avenue for further investigation, as Beeny suggests that the child could be the same girl featured on the left side of Manet’s 1862 painting, The Old Musician.

Intriguingly, the drawing also exhibits signs of having been divided into a grid pattern, indicating that Manet may have intended to transfer the image onto a larger canvas. Nevertheless, no completed artwork that corresponds with this drawing has been identified to date. Historical records indicate that the drawing was sold twice in the 1930s, first in Germany and subsequently in Switzerland, yet it has remained absent from major scholarly discussions regarding Manet’s oeuvre.

Beeny and Baccanelli are set to publish their findings in the October edition of The Burlington Magazine. Additionally, Beeny is hopeful that the drawing may eventually be included in a future edition of the definitive Manet catalogue raisonné, which is being compiled by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, an organisation that has yet to examine the work.

The resurfacing of this drawing not only enriches the understanding of Manet’s artistic journey but also highlights the ongoing mysteries surrounding the lives of subjects captured in art. As Beeny and Baccanelli noted in their forthcoming research, “the drawing’s original purpose remains as mysterious as its early history.”

As art historians continue to unravel the intricacies of Manet’s creations, the return of this drawing serves as a reminder of the hidden treasures waiting to be unearthed in the world of art. With both its provenance and narrative still developing, this piece offers a tantalizing glimpse into the artistic process of one of history’s most celebrated painters.