Cleveland Museum of Art

Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto)

Pierre-Paul Prud'honLinkedCulture matchlcp-36a99d454f5f

Date: c. 1810
Medium: black and white chalk (both stumped)
Culture: France, 19th century
Department: Drawings
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 136823

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

This sheet is notable in its presentation of a woman, specifically one of Pierre-Paul Prud’hon’s favorite models, Marguerite—known for her curly hair and striking appearance. Following the artist’s death, more than 100 drawings were discovered in his studio, each portraying a closely studied nude figure like those shown here. The context of these works remains unclear: artists typically sketched from a model early in their training, but Prud’hon did so as a well-established painter. He saw drawing as a solitary practice, working consistently with white and black chalks on a paper described by one critic as “moonlit blue.” Pierre-Paul Prud'hon was raised in the Cluny abbey by monks, who recognized and encouraged his artistic talent as a boy.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Provenance: Charles-Boulanger de Boisfremont, Paris (Lugt 353, lower left, in red ink); [his sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 9 April 1870, lot 49] (according to letter of 16 Feb. 1981 from Sylvain Laveissière in departmental file). Walter S.M. Burns, London; [his sale, London, Sotheby's, 6 May 1926, p. 21, lot 134] (photocopy of cat. in departmental file)