The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto) Study of a Male Nude (verso)

Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto) Study of a Male Nude (verso)

c. 1810
(French, 1758–1823)
France, 19th century
black and white chalk (both stumped)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1961.318
Catalogue raisonné: Guiffrey 1151
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon was raised in the Cluny abbey by monks, who recognized and encouraged his artistic talent as a boy.

Description

This sheet is notable in its presentation of a woman, specifically one of Pierre-Paul Prud’hon’s favorite models, Marguerite—known for her curly hair and striking appearance. Following the artist’s death, more than 100 drawings were discovered in his studio, each portraying a closely studied nude figure like those shown here. The context of these works remains unclear: artists typically sketched from a model early in their training, but Prud’hon did so as a well-established painter. He saw drawing as a solitary practice, working consistently with white and black chalks on a paper described by one critic as “moonlit blue.”
  • c. 1810-1823
    Studio of the artist, by descent to Charles Boulanger de Boisfremont
    1823-1838
    Charles Boulanger de Boisfremont [1773–1838], Paris, by descent to his son, M. de Boisfremont fils
    1838-1870
    M. de Boisfremont fils
    1870
    (his sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 9, 1870, no. 49, sold to Dr. Malherbe)
    1870-?
    Dr. Malherbe
    after 1870-1926
    Walter S. M. Burns [1872–1929], London,
    1926
    (his sale, Sotheby’s, London, May 6, 1926, no. 134)
    after 1926-1961
    (Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH)
    1961-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    Provenance Footnotes
    1 For 305 F, according to annotated sales catalogue.
  • Catalogue de la collection de M. de Boisfremont fils: Dessins, croquis, études, tableaux et esquisses par Prud’hon. Paris: Hôtel Druout, 1870. Mentioned: p. 21, no, 49
    Guiffrey, Jean. L’Œuvre de P.-P. Prud’hon. Paris: Armand Colin, 1924. Mentioned: p. 439, no. 1151
    Catalogue of a Valuable Collection of [. . .] the Property of Walter S. M. Burns, Esq. London: Sotheby’s, 1926. Mentioned: p. 21, no. 134
    Jaffé, Michael. “The Figurative Arts of the West.” Apollo (December 1963): 457-67. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 467
    Richards, Louise S. "Pierre Paul Prud'hon, Study of a Nude Woman." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 50, no. 2 (February 1963): 26-28. Mentioned: pp. 26-28; Reproduced: p. 27, cover
    Hawley, Henry. Neo-Classicism: Style and Motif. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1964. Mentioned and reproduced: no. 110
    Richards, Louise S. "Pierre Paul Prud'hon's 'Study of a Nude Woman.'" The Connoisseur 158, no. 637 (March 1965): 193-94. Mentioned: pp. 193-94; Reproduced: p. 193
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 164 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 164 archive.org
    Slayman, James Hugus. “The Drawings of Pierre-Paul Prud’hon: A Critical Study.” PhD diss., University of Wisconsin, 1970. Mentioned: pp. 137-39; Reproduced: p. 315
    Rosenberg, Pierre. French Master Drawings of the 17th and 18th Centuries in North American Collections. Exh. cat. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1972. Mentioned: pp. 199-200, no. 118; Reproduced: pl. 138
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 203 archive.org
    Johnson, Mark M. Idea to Image: Preparatory Studies from the Renaissance to Impressionism. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1980. Mentioned: pp. 20-21; Reproduced: p. 19
    Elderfield, John. The Language of the Body: Drawings by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996. Mentioned: pp. 75, 79, 104; Reproduced: p. 105, pl. 6
    Laveissière, Sylvain. Le Cabinet des dessins: Prud’hon. Paris: Flammarion, 1997. Mentioned: pp. 82-83
  • Nineteenth-Century French Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 20-April 30, 2023).
    French Drawings from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 13, 1994-March 12, 1995).
    Directions in Drawing II: The Human Figure. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5, 1991-January 12, 1992).
    National Schools of Style. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 14-September 18, 1983).
    The Lessons of the Academy. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 8-May 29, 1983).
    French Prints and Drawings in the Age of the Bourbons, 1589-1792. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 2-May 16, 1982).
    Idea to Image: Preparatory Studies from the Renaissance to Impressionism. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (February 19-March 23, 1980).
    French Master Drawings of the 17th and 18th Centuries in North American Collections. Art Gallery of Ontario (September 2–October 15, 1972); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa (November 3– December 17, 1972); California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco (January 12–March 11, 1973); New York Cultural Center (April 4–May 13, 1973).
    French Master Drawings of the 17th and 18th Centuries in North American Collections. Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA (September 2-October 15, 1972); Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario M5T 1G4, Canada (organizer) (September 2-October 15, 1972); National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ont.,, Canada (November 3-December 17, 1972); The New York Cultural Center, New York, NY (April 4-May 13, 1973).
    Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 11-October 21, 1968).
    French Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1965-February 16, 1966).
    Drawings: France, Italy, Netherlands. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 1-March 24, 1965).
    Neo-classicism: Style and Motif. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    Year in Review - 1962. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 24-November 25, 1962).
  • {{cite web|title=Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto) Study of a Male Nude (verso)|url=false|author=Pierre-Paul Prud'hon|year=c. 1810|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1961.318