Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto) Study of a Male Nude (verso) (c. 1810): Art, History and Details

Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto) Study of a Male Nude (verso) (c. 1810) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (French, 1758–1823).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

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.”

Object facts

• Title: Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto) Study of a Male Nude (verso)
• Date: c. 1810
• Creator attribution: Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (French, 1758–1823)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Drawing
• Technique: black and white chalk (both stumped)
• Collection: DR - French
• Department: Drawings
• Accession number: 1961.318

A detail from the museum

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

Collection credit

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund

Further reading listed by the museum

• Catalogue de la collection de M. de Boisfremont fils: Dessins, croquis, études, tableaux et esquisses par Prud’hon. Paris: Hôtel Druout, 1870.
• Guiffrey, Jean. L’Œuvre de P.-P. Prud’hon. Paris: Armand Colin, 1924.
• Catalogue of a Valuable Collection of [. . .] the Property of Walter S. M. Burns, Esq. London: Sotheby’s, 1926.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.