Extreme Unction (recto); Three Heads and Other Sketches (verso)

Extreme Unction (recto); Three Heads and Other Sketches (verso) by Nicolas Poussin is a masterful example of French drawing from the mid-seventeenth century, dated circa 1643-1644. Poussin utilized pen and brown ink alongside brush and brown wash to define the composition, a technique characteristic of preparatory studies. The primary image, the recto, illustrates the sacrament of Extreme Unction, depicting a dying man receiving the final rites. This piece likely relates to Poussin’s influential series, The Seven Sacraments, which he executed in two versions for private patrons.

The expressive application of brown wash provides dramatic shadow and volume, underscoring Poussin’s dedication to classical form and narrative clarity. As a working Drawing, the verso reveals the artist’s process through a collection of quick, preliminary studies. These sketches include various heads, possibly exploring facial expressions or figure groupings for unrelated projects. Such spontaneous composition notes highlight Poussin’s rigorous planning and constant practice in figure composition, a hallmark of the French classical tradition.

This double-sided sheet offers valuable insight into the working methods of one of the most important figures in Baroque-era France. The drawing, classified simply as a Drawing, is preserved in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Because of its historical significance and age, high-quality digital prints of this Poussin masterwork are often available to researchers in the public domain, allowing for close study of his innovative use of ink and wash mediums.