Two Drapery Studies [verso]

c. 1844

Ford Madox Brown

Associated Names
Ford Madox Brown

Artist, British, 1821 - 1893

This is a drawing of two separate studies of drapery and fabric. The upper half shows a finely shaded area of fabric with parallel lines indicating texture. The lower half features a detailed drawing of a bent arm, covered in a loose-fitting sleeve. The fabric is softly shaded to show creases and folds, giving a sense of three-dimensionality and weight. The drawing includes faded script and a number "20" in the central area.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    black chalk on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of William B. O'Neal

  • Dimensions

    overall: 30 x 47.5 cm (11 13/16 x 18 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1987.73.1.b

Associated Artworks

The sculpture depicts a human figure in a dramatic pose with arms raised upwards and head tilted back. The figure appears to be kneeling or sitting on its heels, enveloped in flowing drapery that accentuates the figure's form. The sculpture is portrayed in a drawing with shades of gray and brown, likely done in pencil or charcoal. The material of the sculpture is not specified. The sculpture is shown in a way that places it above eye level, emphasizing the raised arms and upward gaze.

The Virgin Swooning [recto]

Ford Madox Brown

1844

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Artist's sale at T.G. Wharton, 1894; Frederic Shields; Ernestine Mills by 1929; (The Leicester Galleries); (Durlacher Brothers); William B. O'Neal [1907-1994], Charlottesville, VA, 1964; gift to NGA, 1987.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1923

  • Paintings and Drawings of the 1860 Period, Tate Gallery, London, 1923, recto only.

1949

  • The Victorian Romantics, The Leicester Galleries, London, 1949, recto only.

1982

  • La Bella Mano: Pre-Raphaelite Paintings and Decorative Arts, The Virginia Museum, Richmond, 1982, no. 29, recto only.

1985

  • The English Avant-Garde of the 1880s: Aesthetes, Rebels, and Feminists, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, 1985, recto only.

1993

  • Drawings from the O'Neal Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1993, no. 49, as Study of the Virgin Mary from "The Ascension", recto only.

1996

  • Drawings from the O'Neal Collection, Georgia Museum of Art, The University of Georgia, Athens, 4 May-16 June, 1996, recto only.

Inscriptions

by later hand, center in graphite: Nr 20 / 20 Imp Mat; by later hand, lower right verso in pen and brown ink: by Madox Brown

Wikidata ID

Q64562115

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