230 by 190 mm
Creti is well known for these very finished studies of nudes and landscapes indicating a likely commercial savvy concerning the potential sale of his preliminary works. Here the drawing is in a vertical format of bathers in wooded landscapes, probably representing classical subjects such as Endymion or Apollo in elegant poses. As demonstrated by Marco Riccomini in his catalogue of Creti’s drawings, these were inspired by Creti’s knowledge of ancient sculptures. They were clearly drawn as works of art in their own right, and can now be found in several public and private collections. Diane De Grazia suggested a dating to the 1720s for a drawing of Apollo Standing in a River Landscape, from the Armand Hammer collection, now in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, about which she wrote: ‘Creti is known to have given many of his drawings to his friends, who must have appreciated their mysterious pastoral subjects and refined techniques.‘ See M. Riccomini, Donato Creti, Le opere su carta, Turin 2012, nos. 11.5, 63.3, 93.1, 96.13; and Master Drawings from the Armand Hammer Collection, exhib. cat., Washington, National Gallery of Art, 1987, p. 97, under no. 14.