Not currently on view
In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of August 2026
FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG
Two thieves were crucified with Christ on Mount Golgotha. One, recognizing Christ's innocence, re-pented his sins, while the other reviled him. In paintings of the crucifixion, this unrepentant thief is depicted at Christ's left. The angle of the cross in this drawing indicates that it is the unrepentant thief who here struggles against the binding ropes. Sodoma was born and trained in Lombardy, but spent most of his life in Siena, where he dominated Sienese painting during the first half of the 16th century. Known for his emotionally charged paintings as well as for his eccentric lifestyle, Sodoma's individuality is evident in his drawings. Here, in the first drawing by this important Renaissance artist to enter the museum's collection, the scratchy and trailing lines of the figure, with its various pentimenti (changes) create the active tension and nervous movement that both enliven the form and suggest the pain of the suffering thief.
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Anonymous, Italian, Roman-Bolognese, 17th century — Nude Fig
Cecco Bravo (Italian, 1607–1661) — Study of a Standing Male
Anonymous, Spanish, School of Seville, 17th century|Pedro D
Pietro Testa — Standing Male Figure Supporting a Shield
Francesco Montelatici ("Cecco Bravo") — Man Sheathing a Swor
Alphonse Legros — Study of a Figure
Standing Male Nude
Pedro Duque Cornejo|Anonymous, Spanish, School of Seville,
Correggio (Italian, 1489?-1534) — Study of a Fallen Soldier
Anonymous, Spanish, School of Seville, 17th century|Pedro D
Alessandro Maganza — Male Figure Seen from Behind
Domenico Beccafumi — Hercules, Standing with a Club