Rediscovered Red-Chalk Sketch Attributed to Édouard Manet in Italian Private Collection

A private collection in northern Italy houses a small red-chalk drawing that has been linked to Édouard Manet, according to a report by Dalya Alberge in the Guardian. Art historian Francesco Baccanelli has identified this sketch as a possible study for Manet's The Old Musician (1862), currently held at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The artwork depicts a crouching girl, reminiscent of figures found in both The Old Musician and Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe (1863). Curator Emily Beeny confirmed its authenticity, highlighting distinctive features of Manet's style. An ultraviolet examination uncovered the artist's studio stamp. The drawing prompts speculation about its purpose, potentially related to Finding of Moses. Beeny and Baccanelli plan to publish their findings in the October edition of Burlington Magazine.