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Art Subject: People
Boy with Glasses - Original Pencil Drawing by Anthony Roaland - 1981
Located in Roma, IT
Boy with glasses is an original drawing on pencil realized by Anthony Roaland in 1981s. Hand-signed and dated by the artist on the lower right margin.
The artwork represents a yo...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
Portrait of a Boy - Original Pencil Drawing by Anthony Roaland - 1981
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of a boy is an original drawing on pencil realized by Anthony Roaland in 1981. Hand-signed and dated by the artist on the lower right margin.
The artist represents the fi...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
Theatrical Costume - Pencil by Alfredo Edel - 1895
By Alfredo Edel
Located in Roma, IT
Theatrical Costume is an original pencil drawing realized by Alfredo Edel in 1895.
Good condition, the artwork is with watercolor and biacca.
Hand signed with pencil by the artis.
Alfredo Leonardo Edel (1856–1912), sometimes credited as Alfredo Edel Colorno, was an Italian costume designer popular during the late 19th and early 20th century. He worked at the La Scala opera...
Category
1890s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
A Handsome 1940s Portrait of a Seated Man by Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon
Located in Chicago, IL
A Handsome 1940s Portrait of a Seated Man by Chicago Modern Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). A wonderfully executed line drawing dating from 1946 with great character; looks ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Graphite
Portrait of a Boy - Original Drawing by Anthony Roaland - 1981
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of a boy is an original drawing on pencil realized by Anthony Roaland in 1981. Hand-signed and dated by the artist on the lower right margin.
In the foreground the boy is...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
Portrait of a Boy - Original Drawing by Anthony Roaland - 1981
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of a boy is an original drawing on pencil realized by Anthony Roaland in 1981. Hand-signed and dated by the artist on the lower right margin.
The artist depicts a delicat...
Category
1980s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
Donna Sdraiata - Pastel by Aurelio Bulzatti - 2009
Located in Roma, IT
Donna Sdraiata is an original drawing realized by the Italian contemporary artist Aurelio Bulzatti in 2009.
The drawing is a unique piece pastel on p...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel
'Women And Brown Cat' Acrylic And Ink Original Drawing On Paper By Devie
Located in Carmel, CA
Inspired by the theatre world, Devi had retained her own unique drawing strokes. Her works reflect an approachable other-worldliness. She paints a story to be told and answered.
The...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
Greg G - Stylized Baseball Card of Chicago Cub Greg Gross, Original, Framed
Located in Chicago, IL
Patrick Vale
Greg G
acrylic, ink, colored pencil on paper
24h x 19w in
60.96h x 48.26w cm
PKV015
See What I See
Why are Chicago and baseball so perfect f...
Category
2010s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Acrylic, Archival Paper
Head 03 - Contemporary Figurative Ink Painting, New Expressionism
Located in Salzburg, AT
The artwork on paper will be sent unframed to you.
Maciej Olekszy was born in 1982, Poland. Graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Poznan, Poland in 2007. Faculty of Painting i...
Category
2010s Contemporary Portrait Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink
French Modern Drawing by Jean Hélion - Veil Homme
By Jean Hélion
Located in Paris, IDF
Veil Homme
1947
drawing
26,9 x 21 x 0,1 cm
Registered on the catalogue raisonné with inventory number : N°0252 cat. B
sold without frame
about Jean Hélion (April 21, 1904 – October ...
Category
1960s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pencil
Nude of Woman - Original Pencil Drawing - Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Nude of Woman is an original pencil drawing realized by an Italian artist of the early 20th century.
Good condition on a yellowed paper.
No signature.
Category
Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
Portrait 2014 - Watercolor by Anastasia Kurakina - 2014
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait 2014 is an original and beautiful watercolour realized by Anastasia Kurakina in 2014.
The picture is in good conditions, on a white paper.
Hand-signed by the artist on the...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Portrait of Man 2019 - Watercolor by Anastasia Kurakina - 2019
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Man 2019 is an original and beautiful watercolour realized by Anastasia Kurakina in 2019.
The picture is in good conditions, on a white paper, mounted on a cardboard pas...
Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Portrait of Arab - Original Charcoal Drawing by Jean Plumet - Early 20th Century
By Jean Louis Plumet
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait of Arab is an interesting drawing realized by the French artist Jean Louis Plumet. It is in very good conditions, except for some tiny stains and a fold on the lower part of...
Category
Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
Portraits of the Hon. Mary Shuttleworth and Anna Maria, 9th Baroness Forrester
Located in London, GB
THE HON. MARY SHUTTLEWORTH, NÉE COCKBURN (D. 1777)
and her sister
ANNA MARIA, 9TH BARONESS FORRESTER (D. 1808)
Pastel and gouache on paper laid on canvas, on their original backb...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel, Gouache
Performance I, realistic charcoal & ink monotone drawing, woman in striped dress
Located in Dallas, TX
"Performance I & II" are thoughtful and dynamic charcoal drawings on paper by Patsy McArthur. They are monotone, black and white, and show a woman wearing a fashionable striped skirt...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Archival Paper, Charcoal, Ink
Young Woman Sitting - Charcoal Drawing by Gio Colucci - 20th Century
By Gio Colucci
Located in Roma, IT
Young Woman Sitting is a charcoal drawing on brown paper. Unsigned. Good conditions except for some folds on the corners.
Prolific and eclectic, the Italian Gio Colucci (Florence, 1892 – Paris, 1974), also known in France as Geo Colucci, was a painter, engraver, illustrator, ceramist, and sculptor. From 1921, he exhibited his engravings in various salons. He worked with French publishers specialized in the illustrated books of high bibliophilia, and delivered series of remarkable prints for texts by Barbey d'Aurevilly, Pierre Loti, Guy Maupassant...
Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
Portrait - Original Drawing in Mixed Media - 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Portrait is an original drawing in mixed media on paper, realized by Frick Mueller (XX-XXI).
Sheet dimension: 29.3 x 19.3 cm.
The artwork represents a portrait, skillfully created...
Category
19th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Mixed Media
Smoker - Original Pencil Drawing by S. Goldberg - Mid 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Smoker is an original drawing in pencil on paper realized by Simon Goldberg (1913-1985). Hand-signed in pencil on the lower right, with sketches on the rear.
The state of preservati...
Category
Mid-20th Century Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
The Painter Giorgio De Chirico - Drawing by Mino Maccari - 1950 ca
By Mino Maccari
Located in Roma, IT
Watercolor on paper realized by Mino Maccarin in the 1950s. It depicts the painter and Master of Pittura Metafisica Giorgio De Chirico.
Hand signed.
Very good condition.
Category
1950s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Portrait of Broadway star Dorothy Dionne
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Date: 1933
Medium: Pencil on Paper
Dimensions: 16.00" x 13.00"
Signature: Signed and Titled
For the Broadway play "Young Sinners"
Dianne starred in the play “Young Sinners” in 1933.
Category
1930s Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pencil
The Dancer's Spirit. Mikhail Baryshnikov
Located in Zofingen, AG
This vivid portrait captures ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov in a moment of poised strength and grace. Rendered with a vivid and expressive palette, the painting highlights Barysh...
Category
2010s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Canvas, Oil
1.0 M (DETECTIVE COMICS) and 1.2M BAT MAN, Diptych. Drawing on paper
Located in Miami Beach, FL
1.0 M (DETECTIVE COMICS) and 1.2M BAT MAN, Diptych, 2023 by Rodrigo Spinel
From the series Currency
Chinese ink on Fabriano paper 250 g.
Overall Frame size: 43 cm H x 68 cm W x 3 c...
Category
2010s Abstract Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, India Ink
FLY
Located in CÓRDOBA, ES
Original artwork by Daria Kusto.
Acrylic, markers, ink on watercolor paper.
Unframed.
Ships securely and well protected from Spain.
Category
2010s Neo-Expressionist Portrait Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Permanent Marker
Man in Sombrero - I, American Realist Ink on Paper by Ira Moskowitz
Located in Long Island City, NY
Ira Moskowitz, Polish/American (1912 - 2001) - Man in Sombrero - I, Year: circa 1989, Medium: Ink on Paper, signed, Size: 13 in. x 10 in. (33.02 cm x 25.4 cm), Description: Ira Mos...
Category
1980s American Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
Risque Pedicure by Angel, Les Ongles, Boudoir style, Female Illustration
By Suzanne Meunier
Located in Miami, FL
This Illustration Boudoir style Illustration by Female Illustrator Suzanne Meunier was done on an assignment for a French Postcard. It's a very early ...
Category
1910s Art Nouveau Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Sweat Band #3, Charcoal Drawing, Bust of a Man Wearing a Sweat Band
By David Becker
Located in Chicago, IL
Human facial expressions help convey our stories from one person to another. However, David Becker presents this charcoal drawing with a flair for confusion. Throughout his career,...
Category
1990s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Archival Paper
Portrait of Nude Female Figure, Woman in Purple, Yellow & Blue by America Martin
Located in 326 N Coast Hwy. | Laguna Beach, CA
America Martin
"Woman in Purple, Yellow & Blue"
Pastel & Ink on Paper
40” x 26”
AMERICA MARTIN is an internationally represented Colombian-American fine artist based in Los Angeles...
Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Pastel
Young Woman With Bird Original Figurative Drawing Acrylic and ink on paper
Located in Carmel, CA
Inspired by the theatre world, Devie had retained her own unique drawing strokes. Her works reflect an approachable other-worldliness. She paints a story to be told and answered.
Th...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Acrylic, Handmade Paper
Two Girls, Impressionist Gouache Painting by Ernst Berger
Located in Long Island City, NY
Ernst Berger, Austrian (1857 - 1919) - Two Girls, Medium: Gouache on Paper, signed lower right, Size: 15 x 16 in. (38.1 x 40.64 cm), Frame Size: 23 x 23.5 inches
Category
Late 19th Century Impressionist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Gouache
Lady in a Feathered Hat, Portrait, Figure, Charcoal Drawing, Austrian
Located in Wiscasset, ME
Irene Hölzer-Weineck was born in Prague in 1888 and later worked as a painter primarily in Vienna. After artistic training with the Czech painter Vojtech Hynais, Hölzer-Weineck studi...
Category
Early 20th Century Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal
Portrait of Attilia Marini
Located in Roma, RM
Luigi Serra (Bologna 1846 - 1888), Portrait of Attilia Marini
Mixed media drawing on paper 32 x 26 cm signed, dedicated to Attilia and dated "February 17, 1887" lower right.
Category
Late 19th Century Other Art Style Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media, Pencil, Color Pencil
[Woman at a Table]
Located in Boston, MA
Frederick Bosley was an Impressionist painter of the Boston School who most often depicted portraits, figures and still-lifes. The artist was born in Lebanon, New Hampshire in 1881. He studied at the Museum School in Boston from 1900-1906 with Edmund C. Tarbell (1862-1938) and Frank W. Benson (1862-1951), and then in Europe from 1906-1908. Bosley returned to Boston in 1909, obtaining a studio at the Fenway Studios from 1909-1918. He was to become a teacher in his own right, settling as Director at the Museum School from 1913-1931. His many awards include First prize in the 1920 Concord Art Academy Exhibition and a Gold Medal in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Exhibition, 1925. His work may be found in the collections of several institutions, including the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Farnsworth Museum, the National Academy of Design and the Concord Academy...
Category
Early 20th Century American Impressionist Figurative Drawings and Waterc...
Materials
Paper, Pencil
![[Woman at a Table]](https://a.1stdibscdn.com/a_3973/a_139116321707237315466/CGL54384_40jpg_framed_master.jpg?width=240 "fred bosley")
SMITHEREENS
Located in Portland, ME
Anonymous. "SMITHEREENS" ORIGINAL ART FOR AN ALFRED E. SMITH CAMPAIGN POSTER. Circa 1920. Ink drawing with white highlighting. 20 x 22 inches, in an early fra...
Category
1920s Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink
One of the Howling Dawashes in Cairo Orientalist Watercolour Portrait
By Carl Haag
Located in London, GB
Carl Haag
1820 - 1915
One of the Howling Dawashes in Cairo
Watercolour on paper, signed lower right & dated 1880
Image Size: 10 5/8 x 7 3/4 inches (27 x 19.5 cm)
Original Frame
'One...
Category
1880s Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Laid Paper
Some Other Time (#1979)
By Jack Balas
Located in New York, NY
Signed, titled, and dated, verso
India ink and watercolor on paper
This work is offered by ClampArt in New York City.
Category
2010s Contemporary Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
Materials
Paper, Ink, Watercolor
Performance II realistic charcoal & ink monotone drawing, woman in striped dress
Located in Dallas, TX
"Performance I & II" are thoughtful and dynamic charcoal drawings on paper by Patsy McArthur. They are monotone, black and white, and show a woman wearing a fashionable striped skirt...
Category
2010s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Charcoal, Ink, Archival Paper
Bust-length study of a fashionable lady, c. 1760s
Located in Maidenhead, GB
Robert Healy (1743-1771) (attrib.)
Bust-length study of a fashionable lady, c. 1760s
Black chalk on prepared laid blue paper, heightened with white
15.6 x 24.4 cm.; (within frame) 5...
Category
1760s Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Chalk
"Double Opinion, " Oil Pastel on Grocery Bag Portrait signed by Reginald K. Gee
Located in Milwaukee, WI
"Double Opinion" is an original oil pastel drawing on a grocery bag by Reginald K. Gee. The artist signed the piece lower left. It depicts a confused and wide-eyed face with two mout...
Category
1990s Contemporary Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Oil Pastel, Found Objects
English School 18th Century Graphite Drawing - Portrait of Two Children
Located in Corsham, GB
A miniature English School portrait of two children holding a loving embrace. Well presented in a charming bird's-eye maple frame with internal gilt slip and glazing. Unsigned. On pa...
Category
Early 18th Century Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Graphite
Untitled #1 Zahra Zeinali Contemporary drawing Iranian woman artist art charcoal
Located in Paris, FR
Charcoal on paper
Unique work
Hand-signed by the artist on the back
THE IMAGINARY LAND OF ZAHRA ZEINALI
“Over time Zahra Zeinali develops her universe, which evolves slowly accordi...
Category
2010s Contemporary Interior Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Charcoal
Two old people / - The Inertia of Time -
By Ruth Schloss
Located in Berlin, DE
Ruth Schloss (1922 Nuremberg - 2013 Kfar Shmaryahu), Two old people, around 1990. Mixed media on watercolor paper, 33 cm x 38.5 cm, signed “Schloss” lower left and signed again in He...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper
18th century pastel portrait of Lady Augusta Corbett and her son, Stuart
Located in London, GB
Collections:
Commissioned by Andrew Corbett, husband of the sitter;
The Venerable Stuart Corbett;
Sir Stuart Corbett;
By descent to 2002;
Sotheby’s, London 21 March 2002, lot.104;
Lowell Libson...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel, Gouache
Old Woman at the Table / - Shaded view -
By Ruth Schloss
Located in Berlin, DE
Ruth Schloss (1922 Nuremberg - 2013 Kfar Shmaryahu), Old Woman at the Table, around 1990. Mixed media on watercolor paper, 32 cm x 24 cm, signed “Schloss” lower left and signed again...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper
Man in a wheelchair / - Looking to the future -
By Ruth Schloss
Located in Berlin, DE
Ruth Schloss (1922 Nuremberg - 2013 Kfar Shmaryahu), Man in a wheelchair, around. 1990. Mixed media on watercolor paper, 38.5 cm x 33 cm, signed “Schloss” lower left and again in Heb...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper
Contemplating old man / - The View into Life -
By Ruth Schloss
Located in Berlin, DE
Ruth Schloss (1922 Nuremberg - 2013 Kfar Shmaryahu), Contemplating old man, around 1990. Mixed media on watercolor paper, 33 cm x 40 cm, signed “Schloss” lower left and again in Hebr...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper
Woman eating / - Interior Pictures -
By Ruth Schloss
Located in Berlin, DE
Ruth Schloss (1922 Nuremberg - 2013 Kfar Shmaryahu), Woman eating, around 1990. Mixed media on watercolor paper, 22.2 cm x 26.5 cm, signed “Schloss” lower left and signed again in He...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper
Two sitting old people / - Familiar Strangeness -
By Ruth Schloss
Located in Berlin, DE
Ruth Schloss (1922 Nuremberg - 2013 Kfar Shmaryahu), Two sitting old people, around 1990. Mixed media on watercolor paper, 24 cm x 32 cm, signed “Schloss” lower left and again in Heb...
Category
1990s Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper
Oswald Rimmer (1870-1951) - Early 20th Century Watercolour, At The Piano
Located in Corsham, GB
A delightful watercolour study depicting a young girl at the piano. She sits facing the artist dressed in blue with a music sheet opened behind her. Signed to the lower right. Presen...
Category
20th Century Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor
Arthur Miles (fl.1851-1880) - Framed 1855 Pastel, Portrait of Georgy Chatfield
Located in Corsham, GB
Arthur Miles (British, act. 1851-1880). Original portrait of Georgy Chatfield. Signed with monogram to the lower left. Dated 1855. With further inscriptions to the upper right. Well ...
Category
Mid-19th Century Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel
A Striking Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Handsome Young Black Man in Profile
Located in Chicago, IL
A Striking Mid-Century Modern Portrait of a Handsome Young Black Man by Noted Chicago Artist, Harold Haydon (Am. 1909-1994). A wonderful executed studio figure study portrait depict...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Pastel, Graphite
18th century portrait drawing of the Rev. William Atkinson
Located in London, GB
Collections:
Henry Scipio Reitlinger (1882-1950);
Private collection, UK to 2019
Framed dimensions: 14.50 x 15.38 inches
This drawing is one of only two known portrait drawings by Romney (as opposed to preliminary studies for portraits) and is dated by Alex Kidson as being executed no later than 1769. It is likely that the present drawing was originally part of a sketchbook, now largely dismembered (Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal), which Kidson notes, contained some of Romney’s most beautiful early drawings. This drawing, and a second sheet formerly with Andrew Wyld, have been identifying as depicting the Rev. William Atkinson...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pencil
Saudi Arabia King Faisal Time Magazine Cover - Man of The Year Study
By Bob Peak
Located in Miami, FL
Master portrait artist and illustration legend Bob Peak captures the likeness, dignity and essence of Saudi Arabia's King Faisal for Time Magazine Cover ...
Category
1970s Realist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel, Archival Paper
Pre-Code Cover Portrait of Verna Hillie
By Cardwell Higgins
Located in Fort Washington, PA
Medium: Pastel on Illustration Board
Signature: Signed Lower Right
Sight Size 20.00" x 28.50;" Framed 32.50" x 41.25"
Cover Art for Unidentified Title
Pre-code Hollywood starlet Verna Hillie is the subject of this erotically charged pastel portrait, which was the title Reel Movie Fun, a short lived wild and racy publication that merged the world of pin-up and burlesque with the envelope pushing film culture emerging from Hollywood before enforcement of the notorious Hays code put an end to overt expressions of sexuality or immorality on screen. Pastel is dated and signed on the back and the sitter is identified in the artist's hand as seen. Beautifully framed and matted behind glass in a handsome gallery frame and ready to hang.
Verna Hillie was a Monograph Pictures star who appeared in The Marx brothers comedy "Duck Soup...
Category
1930s Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel, Illustration Board
Long Time River Woman (Blackfoot Maiden)
By Winold Reiss
Located in New York, NY
Winold Reiss (1886-1953), who scholars increasingly recognize as a pivotal figure in early 20th-century American art, is known for his evocative portraits that capture the spirit and...
Category
20th Century American Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Paper, Mixed Media
Contemplation and Purring
Located in Zofingen, AG
"Contemplation and Purring" captures a serene moment of harmony between a relaxed young woman and two playful cats. The woman, in gentle repose, embodies tranquility and introspecti...
Category
2010s Modern Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Canvas, Acrylic
18th century portrait of the Royal Academy model George White
By John Russell
Located in London, GB
Collections:
Russell sale, Christie’s, 14 February, 1807: ‘John Russell, Esq., R.A. deceased, crayon painter to His Majesty, the Prince of Wales, and Duke of York; and brought from his late Dwelling in Newman Street’, lot 92, ‘St Peter’, bt. Thompson (£1.13s);
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 25th September 1980, lot 113;
Private collection, UK, 2016.
Literature:
Martin Postle, 'Patriarchs, prophets and paviours: Reynolds's images of old age', The Burlington Magazine, vol. cxxx, no. 1027, October 1988, pp. 739-40, fig. 9;
Martin Postle, Sir Joshua Reynolds: The Subject Pictures, Cambridge, 1995, p.136, repr.;
Neil Jeffares, Dictionary of pastellists before 1800, online edition, J.64.2928.
Signed and dated: J Russell/ fecit 1772 (lower right)
Framed dimensions: 25 x 31 inches
John Russell was admitted to the Royal Academy in March 1770, at the same time as Daniel Gardner. The nascent Academy Schools were still establishing their teaching structures, but central to the syllabus were the twin components of drawing after the antique and from life models. By 1772 Russell had already been awarded a silver medal and progressed to the life academy, where he produced this remarkable pastel study of George White. White was the most famous model employed by the Royal Academy and prominent artists in the second half of the eighteenth century. A paviour – or street mender –by profession White had been discovered by Joshua Reynolds, who in turn introduced him to the Academy. Russell’s striking head study demonstrates his abilities as a portraitist and pastellist, at the same time showing his interest in the Academy’s preoccupation with promoting history painting.
George White was one of the most celebrated models in eighteenth-century London. According to the painter Joseph Moser:
'Old George…owed the ease in which he passed his latter days, in a great measure to Sir Joshua Reynolds, who found him exerting himself in the laborious employment of thumping down stones in the street; and observing not only the grand and majestic traits of his countenance, but the dignity of his muscular figure, took him out of a situation to which his strength was by no means equal, clothed, fed, and had him, first as a model in his own painting room, then introduced him as a subject for the students of the Royal Academy.'
As Martin Postle has pointed out, whilst characterful studies of old men posed as biblical figures, prophets or saints by Continental old masters were readily available on the art market – Reynolds himself had copied a head of Joab by Federico Bencovich in the collection of his friend and patron, Lord Palmerston - finding a model in Britain from whom to execute a painting was more difficult.
White therefore offered a rare opportunity for artists to combine portraiture and history painting, by painting a model in the guise of an historical or literary character. In 1771 Reynolds showed at the Royal Academy a picture of White entitled Resignation. It was engraved in 1772 and accompanied by a stanza from Oliver Goldsmith’s Deserted Village, implying a literary context to what is essentially a portrait. In his annotated Royal Academy catalogue, Horace Walpole noted: ‘This was an old beggar, who had so fine a head that Sir Joshua chose him for the father in his picture from Dante, and painted him several times, as did others in imitation of Reynolds. There were even cameos and busts of him.’ White sat to, amongst others Johan Zoffany, John Sanders, Nathaniel Hone and the sculptor John Bacon...
Category
18th Century Old Masters Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Pastel
