Unknown Artist (Italian); Man in Classical Costume; n.d.; chalk on paper; 7 in. x 10 1/16 in. (17.8 cm. x 25.5 cm.); This striding figure twists his upper body strongly away from the viewer while still displaying his navel; an impossible feat for a living human body. Mannerist artists often strained the human form into decorative shapes defying nature's limits. Michelangelo recommended to his students that they use the figura serpentinata; an S-shaped form that twists and moves like a serpent; in order to capture not only living movement but also intense grace. Wearing fashionable ankle-high sandals on his tiny feet; a garment that billows out behind in bulging flaps and a fillet around his small head; this figure was probably prepared for some ancient story of plunder or flight; since he appears to carry a sack flung over his shoulder.