Study for a Composition showing Figures in a Square in Italy

Drawing details

Title: Study for a Composition showing Figures in a Square in Italy
Date: c.1849
Media: Pencil and ink on paper
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Picture credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Fletcher Fund, 1942
Reference number: 42.21.1

Interpretation

The pose of the heavily draped standing male figure to the left of this composition is similar to Leighton's depiction of Dante in the painting 'Cimabue's Celebrated Madonna...' (c.1853-55, Royal Collection).

Description

Page from a sketchbook. Study for a composition showing a figures in a square. To the right of the composition, a female figure has her left arm around a child's shoulders and points to the left with her right hand. In front of her there is a second child and a dog. In the centre of the composition a seated elderly male figure, facing the viewer and holding a walking stick, looks up at the female figure. To the left of the composition a heavily draped standing male figure, with back to the viewer has both hands clasped behind his back. Other figures and the architecture of an Italian square can be seen in the background. There is a fountain to the right of the foreground. 

Provenance

Purchased by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, through the Fletcher Fund in 1942