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The Prisoner
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This drawing belongs to a series of enigmatic sheets that the French artist Jacques-Louis David created while living as an exile in Brussels from 1816 until his death in 1825. Many of these untitled works present close-up views of expressive heads and were given by the artist to his friends. This image of a turbaned man next to a hanging chain and oil lamp loosely references David's painting <em>The Intercession of Saint Roch</em> (1780) from much earlier in his career.
| Artist / Maker | Jacques-Louis David |
|---|---|
| Date | c. 1816–22 |
| Culture / Origin | France, 19th century |
| Medium | black chalk on cream laid paper |
| Dimensions | Sheet: 13.1 x 19.6 cm (5 3/16 x 7 11/16 in.) |
| Department | Drawings |
| Type | Drawing |
About the Artist
The founder and leading painter of the neoclassical movement in France, Jacques-Louis David was born in Paris to a prosperous family of artists and archi-tects. In 1766 he entered the Académie Royale as the pupil of Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809). After several failed attempts, David won the Prix de Rome in 1774. The following year he left for Italy, where he studied antique art and envisioned replacing the frivolity of the rococo with an art of grandeur, simplicity, and moral virtue.… Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
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