Old Master Drawings

from the Steiner Collection - New Acquisition

December 19, 2003–February 16, 2004

Perino del Vaga

Studies of Horses

c. 1530-35 (The Clark)

In December of 2003, the Clark unveiled a major acquisition of thirty Old Master drawings from the John and Alice Steiner Collection, widely recognized as one of the most distinguished private holdings of Renaissance and Baroque drawings formed during the late twentieth century. The couple began the collection in 1971, slowly and methodically shaping it to include more than 150 drawings, mainly of the Italian, Dutch and Flemish, and French Schools. The collection represents a broad range of techniques and functions, ranging from modest working sketches to grand presentation sheets. As the fame of their collection grew, the Steiners’ home in Larchmont, New York, became a gathering place for students, academics, and museum scholars.

At the Clark, the Steiner drawings build on the solid foundation established by Sterling and Francine Clark, who were themselves among the most notable American collectors of Old Master drawings during the first half of the twentieth century. The thirty drawings acquired from the Steiner collection include the pen-and-ink drawing Nathan Admonishing David (c. 1652-53) by Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn, Perino del Vaga’s Studies of Horses (c. 1530-35), and the oil sketch Crucifixion with the Virgin, Saints John and Mary Magdalene, and God the Father (c. 1651) by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione. Other highlights include exceptional examples by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (Il Guercino), Jean-Honoré Fragonard, and Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo. To commemorate this important acquisition, the Clark displayed these drawings in a special installation on view through February 16, 2004.