Augustus Saint Gaudens II (Saint Gaudens and his Model)

Art Historical Context

In 1897, Swedish artist Anders Zorn created this intimate etching and drypoint, *Augustus Saint-Gaud II (Saint-Gaudens and his Model, capturing a candid moment between the renowned American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and one of his nude models in his studio. Zorn, celebrated for his masterful portraits and luminous nudes, had forged a friendship with Saint-Gaudens during visits to the United States in the 1890s. This, the only known state, showcases Zorn's skill in depicting the sculptor's focused intensity alongside the model's graceful pose, blending admiration for his subject's craft with Zorn's own sensual realism. The medium of etching combined with drypoint allowed Zorn to achieve extraordinary texture and depth—etching for precise lines and drypoint for the soft, burr-rich tones that evoke the warmth of studio light on skin and sculpture. Measuring just 5 3/8 × 7 13/16 inches on the plate, its small scale invites close viewing, much like peering into an artist's private world. Acquired through the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund in 1917, it resides in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection. This work highlights the transatlantic artistic exchanges of the Gilded Age, where European techniques met American monumental sculpture, offering visitors a glimpse into the creative camaraderie that fueled innovation in portraiture and the nude tradition.

About the Artist

Anders Zorn|Augustus Saint-Gaudens · 1860–1920

Anders Zorn (1860–1920), one of Sweden's most celebrated artists, was born on February 18 in Utmeland near Mora in Dalarna, and raised on his maternal grandparents' farm in the nearby hamlet of Yvraden. Displaying prodigious talent from a young age, he attended school in Mora Strand until age twelve, followed by secondary grammar school in Enköping, where he excelled in drawing people and horses. ...