Antique Statue of Standing Venus
1775
Medium
Pen and brown ink with graphite on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
48.2 × 26.2 cm (19 × 10 3/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
83220
Art Historical Context
Step into the refined world of 18th British draughtsmanship with John Downman's *Antique Statue of Standing Venus*1775). This delicate pen and brown ink drawing with graphite, executed on luxurious ivory laid paper, captures poised elegance of the Roman goddess of love, evoking classical sculptures like the Venus Pudica. Measuring 48.2 × 26.2 cm, it resides in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings, showcasing Downman's skill as a portraitist andist influenced by Rococo grace and emerging Neoclassicism. Created during the Enlightenment's fervor for antiquity, the work reflects the...
About the Artist
John Downman · 1750–1824
John Downman (1750–1824) was born in Ruabon, near Wrexham, in North Wales. His artistic inclinations proved stronger than any legal ambitions his family held for him, and he began his formal training in Liverpool before enrolling in 1769 among the first intake of students at the newly established Royal Academy Schools in London. There he studied under Benjamin West. In 1773, Downman deepened his e...