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Hand and arm posture of the man on the far right

Conspicuously broad and often stippled underdrawing lines are more clearly visible in the area of the hands, the originally planned sleeve and the garment including the sash than in any other part of the central panel. Important characteristics of this kind of underdrawing are short strokes at variable intervals to indicate contours and internal details. The few recognizable instances of parallel hatching, such as in the folds of the garment above the sash, are also composed of short strokes. Many lines, mostly with blunt ends and beginnings, usually short and of relatively even thickness, create the impression of having been executed with a short and relatively broad, possibly worn out brush. The pigmentation between and within the course of individual lines suggests a paint rather than a homogeneously pigmented drawing fluid.

The painted version deviated from the underdrawing not only in the depiction of the sleeve, but also of the hands. The underdrawing envisaged that the man’s left hand should grasp the pole of the banner, while in the painting this plan was rejected, and this function transferred to his right hand.


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