Study of a Woman
1906
Medium
Red chalk
Dimensions
12 3/4 x 9 3/8 in. (32.4 x 23.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Victor D. Brenner, 1909
Accession Number
09.171.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Louis-Oscar Roty’s “Study of a Woman,” created in 1906, offers a quiet glimpse into the working process of one of France’s most celebrated medallists. Rendered in red chalk on paper measuring roughly 12¾ by 9⅜ inches, the drawing captures the gentle tilt of a woman’s head and the subtle play of light across her features. Roty, best known for designing the iconic Sower motif on French coins, frequently turned to such studies to explore pose, expression, and drapery before translating his ideas into the miniature relief of a medal. Red chalk, or sanguine, has long been prized by artists for its...
About the Artist
Louis-Oscar Roty · 1846–1911
Louis-Oscar Roty, commonly known as Oscar Roty (1846–1911), was born on June 11 in Paris's Belleville neighborhood, the son of a modest schoolmaster. He began his artistic training under Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran at the Petite École (later the École des Arts Décoratifs), honing his drawing skills, before entering the École des Beaux-Arts in 1864. There, he studied sculpture and medal engraving u...