Bust of a Woman Reclining in Bed, Bare-Chested

Silverpoint on thick smooth wove paper.

The sitter for this drawing is unknown and it is unclear as yet whether Mosca worked with the same models frequently. Beyond his predilection for urban imagery, Mosca clearly enjoyed figure drawing. In this genre, nudes of women are prevalent, which is not surprising given he was particularly skilled at depicting the human body. While this is no longer a must for many artists today, when Mosca came of age, drawing the human form with precision was still a skill one was required to learn in art school. Clearly he took to this practice like a fish to water. He went as far as to note on one of his extant self-portraits the following exclamation: “Ah! Drawing!”. Clearly, working on drawings such as these was a joy for the artist.

Signed, dated, and annotated “silverpoint” in silverpoint below the bedsheet’s edge.