Child Taking Oath before Classic Pyre (recto); Male Academic Nude (verso)
n.d.
Medium
Pen and black ink, with brush and brown wash and lead white (partly discolored) (recto), and black chalk with stumping (verso), on tan wove paper
Dimensions
31.7 × 49.7 cm (12 1/2 × 19 5/8 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
114681
Art Historical Context
This intriguing double-sided drawing from the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection captures the academic rigor of traditional European art training. On the recto, a solemn child takes an oath before a classical pyre, evoking ancient Roman rituals of sacrifice or vow-taking amid flickering flames and architectural grandeur. The verso features a male academic nude, a staple of atelier studies, posed dynamically to demonstrate anatomy and contrapposto—hallmarks of neoclassical ideals drawing from antiquity. Executed on tan wove paper typical of 18th- or 19th-century workshop...