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Home | Exhibitions | Barocci: A lesson in drawing | Barocci Drawings: MediaCharcoal has been used as a drawing material since Antiquity and is often mentioned in artistic treatises and manuals. Bellori tells us that Barocci ‘drew in chiaroscuro, using a stick of burnt wood’. This effectively explains what charcoal is, namely a stick of carbonized wood. On account of its friable nature, it is most suitable for rough preliminary work.