Classical Nudes (recto); Classical Statuary (verso)
about 1814–1815
- Medium
- Graphite, pen and brown ink, and brown wash
- Dimensions
- 21.3 × 28.4 cm
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-204667
Théodore Géricault relied only on broad outlines and richly applied washes to produce the muscular bodies of these two nudes. He reused a sheet covered with pencil drawings, creating new, more powerful forms that contrast linearity with volume. He may have sketched them at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he copied antique statues for practice. The figures on the verso are less inventive and more orderly, arranged in two neat rows. Using pen and ink to cover older pencil drawings of studies of heads, Géricault again copied antique statues, including several in classical armor as well as the figures of Cupid and Psyche. Most of these figures are simple outlines, while others have a delicately applied wash.
Provenance
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Registry history
- about 1814–1815 — Recorded in the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum — drawings
Registered on Collect24
The identity of the collector is never published. Purchase information, documents and the exact location of the artwork remain private.
Ownership not yet verified on Collect24
This artwork is documented in the Global Art Registry, but no Collect24 account is linked to it as the owner. Claiming keeps this record and its Collect24 Art ID — nothing is created a second time.
Do you own or represent this artwork? Claim this artwork →Auction history
Public sale records matched to this work. Ownership is never disclosed.
Loading sale records…