Figure Studies
1751 to 1775
Medium
graphite on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 17.9 x 17.8 cm (7 1/16 x 7 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1980.45.523
Art Historical Context
John Flaxman's *Figure Studies* (ca. 1751–1775) offers a captivating glimpse into the preparatory world of one of Britain's leading Neoclassical artists. Rendered in graphite on laid paper—a fine, handmade sheet typical of 18th-century draftsmanship—this intimate drawing measures just 17.9 x 17.8 cm, perfect for an artist's sketchbook. Flaxman, renowned for his elegant sculptures and illustrations of classical texts like Homer's *Iliad* and *Odyssey*, used such studies to refine his command of the human figure, blending anatomical precision with graceful, idealized forms inspired by ancient Gr...
About the Artist
John Flaxman · 1755–1826
John Flaxman (1755–1826) was born in York, England, the son of John Flaxman Sr., a moulder and seller of plaster casts who ran a studio in London's Covent Garden. Largely self-taught amid his father's stock of classical casts, with minimal formal schooling due to childhood illness, Flaxman displayed prodigious talent early on. At age 12, he won a Society of Arts prize for a medallion; by 15, anoth...