Andromeda Chained to the Rock

By the 1640s, with the artist’s continuing conversion of the compelling naturalism of his first style into a more ideal manner, the controlled stroke and regular stipple that earlier characterized drawings for prints could almost as easily appear in preparatory studies for paintings, as well as in his exquisite landscapes. Although differences are apparent, the format of the composition and the position of Andromeda suggest that this was an advanced but alternative design for the painting of 1648 in the Balbi Senarega Collection, Genoa. Backing removed during Conservation is matted separately and stored with drawing.