Figure Lifting a Veil from a Female Figure
Maker
Richard Cosway
(British, 1742-1821)
ClassificationsDRAWINGS
Daten.d.
Mediumgraphite and black, red, and white chalks on wove paper
Dimensions9 1/4 × 7 1/4 in. (23.5 × 18.4 cm.)
mat: 22 × 16 in. (55.9 × 40.6 cm.)
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Label TextCosway’s work reflects his study of classical art. This drawing depicts a woman lounging on a sofa whose scrolling armrest recalls Greek and Roman dining couches. Her hair is bound in a fine net, and a youth who may have a set of wings protruding from his shoulders gently lifts a veil from her face, suggesting the subject may be Cupid and Venus. The woman’s heavy-lidded gaze and full, slightly curving lips lend a feeling of languid sensuality. This is enhanced by the artist’s delicate draftsmanship, in which hard edges are smoothed and softened (2022).Status
Not on viewObject number68.19
Terms
David Wilkie
1836
Object number: 63.52.291