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Visit
Open today 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Admission is always free

6th and Constitution Ave NW
Washington, DC 20565

Sculpture Garden Extended Hours

Open late until 8:00 p.m. on select nights
Starting June 3
Exhibitions & Events
Featured event:

Block Party
Join us June 6
Art & Artists
Open Call

Artists Reimagining the Collection
Meet the 50 makers selected from more than 1,600 submissions

The Son and the Donkey

1863

Elihu Vedder

Associated Names

Elihu Vedder

Artist, American, 1836 - 1923

The image is a vintage sketch showing three figures: a man, a child, and a donkey. The man, child, and donkey are depicted in different postures, with the man standing higher than the child. The man has a beard and curly hair, wearing a tunic and trousers. The child is barefoot and interacts with the donkey, gently touching its nose. The donkey stands calmly with its head down. In the background, there is an archway showing a brighter outdoor scene. The sketch is detailed with cross-hatching for texture.

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Artwork overview

Medium

graphite on wove paper laid down
Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Borghi, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Dimensions

support: 22.9 × 13.2 cm (9 × 5 3/16 in.)
sheet: 10.9 × 7.1 cm (4 5/16 × 2 13/16 in.)
Accession Number

1991.105.11

Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1988

Borghi & Co., Visions of Italy, 1988, 12.

Inscriptions

below image on secondary sheet, lower right in graphite: Nov 7 63; center verso of secondary sheet by unknown hand in graphite 8 (circled)

Wikidata ID

Q64558389

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