Two Dolls or Puppets Sitting on Cushions (c. 1870–80): Art, History and Details

Two Dolls or Puppets Sitting on Cushions (c. 1870–80) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Henri Joseph Harpignies (French, 1819–1916).

The work and its context

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

Henri Harpignies was best known for landscapes, and this sheet is a rare example of his still life practice. It belongs to a group of drawings created for his pupil, the Comtesse de Kermaingant, providing her with instruction in watercolor. Two dolls or puppets are propped on a pillow, allowing the comtesse to study the drapery of their costume and shadows of their placement on cushions.

Object facts

• Title: Two Dolls or Puppets Sitting on Cushions
• Date: c. 1870–80
• Creator attribution: Henri Joseph Harpignies (French, 1819–1916)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Drawing
• Technique: Watercolor with graphite underdrawing on heavily textured wove paper
• Dimensions: Sheet: 38.6 x 28.5 cm (15 3/16 x 11 1/4 in.)
• Collection: DR - French
• Department: Drawings
• Accession number: 2018.1061

A detail from the museum

Harpignies made this drawing as an example for one of his pupils to study and emulate.

Collection credit

Bequest of Muriel Butkin

Further reading listed by the museum

• Rohowsky, Peter S. French Nineteenth Century Drawings, Pastels, Watercolors: Nov. 1977-Feb. 1978. New York: Shepherd Gallery Associates, 1977.

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.