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

Status

Not on view

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).

Object number68.19

Terms