An Elegantly Dressed Woman Struggling with a Lion

1780/1785

Francesco Guardi

Associated Names
Francesco Guardi

Artist, Venetian, 1712 - 1793

The image is a sketch of two abstract figures intertwined, drawn with dark ink on a blue paper background. The figures are composed of swirling lines and shapes, making it difficult to distinguish specific details like facial features or clothing. They appear to be in motion, interacting closely with each other. There are no discernible accessories or objects in the sketch. The background is plain blue paper, providing contrast to the dark ink lines of the drawing.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink on blue paper with white heightening

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 16.9 × 12.7 cm (6 5/8 × 5 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2008.42.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Henry Oppenheimer [1859-1932], London; (his sale, Christie's London, 10 July 1936, no. 90a); Bittner Collection; Janos Scholz [1903-1993], New York; Mrs. Eugene Victor Thaw, New York, by 1960; (Yvonne Ffrench Gallery, London, 1968); Jacques Petit-Hory, Paris [1929-1992] (not in Lugt); (with Jean-Pierre Selz, Paris); Jeffrey E. Horvitz, Beverly Farms, MA; purchased 2008 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1911

  • Venetian Painting of the Eighteenth Century, Burlington Fine arts Club, London, 1911, no. 80.

1957

  • Disegni veneti della collezione Janos Scholz, Venice, 55, no. 95.

1958

  • The Guardi Family: Selected from American Museums and Collections, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, January through February, 1958, no. 40.

1968

  • Old Master Drawings, Yvonne Ffrench, London, 1968, no. 25.

1971

  • Venise au XVIII siècle, Orangerie, Paris, 1971, no. 109.

1991

  • Italian Old Master Drawings from the Collection of Jeffrey E. Horvitz, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL, 1991 - 1992, no. 34.

2014

  • The Poetry of Light - La poesia della luce: Venetian Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, Museo Correr, Venice, Venice, 2014 - 2015, no. 109.

Bibliography

1911

  • Exhibition of Venetian Painting of the Eighteenth Century. Burlington Fine Arts Club, London, 1911: 60.

1926

  • Detlev, Baron von Hadeln. "Some Unpublished Figure Drawings of Francesco Guardi." Old Master Drawings 1 (June 1926): 3.

1943

  • Pallucchini, Rodolfo. I Disegni del Guardi al Museo Correr di Venezia. Venice, 1943: 41, no. 34.

1960

  • Mills College Art Gallery. Venetian Drawings 1600 - 1800, from the Collection of Janos Scholz. Oakland, 1960: under no. 36.

1964

  • Scholz, Janos. "Visiting Venetian Drawings at the National Gallery." The Art Quarterly XXVII (1964): 189, 192, fig. 4.

1971

  • Venise au dix-huitième siècle: Peintures, dessins et gravures des collections françaises. Orangerie des Tuileries, Paris, 1971: 92.

1975

  • Morassi, Antonio. Guardi, I Disegni. Venice, 1975: 122-123, no. 257, fig. 260.

1991

  • Italian Old Master Drawings from the Collection of Jeffrey E. Horvitz. Harn Museum of Art, Gainesville, FL, 1991: 140-143.

Inscriptions

in brown ink on verso: slight sketch of old woman's head; by later hand in graphite, upper right verso: 11212(?)

Wikidata ID

Q64562390

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