Three Muses (recto); Study of Knight and Monk for an Illustration in a Gothic Novel (verso)
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash, over traces of graphite (recto), and pen and brown ink with brush and brown and blue wash and graphite (verso), on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
19.3 × 20.4 cm (7 5/8 × 8 1/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
112257
Art Historical Context
Discover the enchanting double-sided drawing *Three Muses (recto); Study of Knight and Monk for an Illustration in a Novel (verso)* Thomas Stothard, masterful British artist of the Romantic era (1755–1834). On the front, three graceful muses evoke classical inspiration, their flowing forms captured in pen and brown ink with subtle brown wash over graphite traces. Flipping to the verso reveals a dramatic study of a knight and monk, likely for a Gothic novel illustration, enriched with brown and blue washes for moody depth on ivory laid paper. Measuring just 19.3 × 20.4 cm, this intimate work fr...
About the Artist
Thomas Stothard · 1755–1834
Thomas Stothard RA (1755–1834) was born on 17 August 1755 at the Black Horse Inn in London's Long Acre, the son of a prosperous publican originally from Stutton near Tadcaster. A delicate child, he was sent at age five to relatives in Yorkshire, attending schools in Acomb, Tadcaster, and later Ilford, Essex, where he honed his drawing skills by copying prints. Following his father's death in 1770,...