Study of a Boy in a Blue Jacket

Benedetto Luti's Study of a Boy in a Blue Jacket from 1717 belongs to a celebrated series of pastel heads that made the Roman painter famous across Europe. These "teste" were prized by collectors for their immediacy and chromatic vibrancy, earning Luti commissions from the greatest courts of Europe. The pastel medium, which Luti helped popularize in Rome, allowed for a freshness and directness impossible in oil painting.

Luti's pastel and chalk technique on blue laid paper exploits the medium's capacity for vibrant color and soft blending. The blue paper ground provides a middle tone that harmonizes with the jacket while the pastel strokes build luminous flesh tones with remarkable freshness.