Design for a Book Illustration: a Man Approaching a Woman Playing a Harp
19th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash.
Dimensions
3 5/8 x 2 11/16 in. (9.2 x 6.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1952
Accession Number
52.567.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, titled *Design for a Book Illustration: a Man Approaching a Woman Playing a Harp*, captures a tender moment from 19th-century Germany. Created anonymously by a German artist, it depicts a gentleman drawing near a seated woman gracefully strumming a harp, evoking themes of courtship, music, and domestic elegance. At just 3 5/8 x 2 11/16 inches (9.2 x 6.8 cm), its intimate scale invites close viewing, revealing the artist's meticulous attention to gesture and emotion. Executed in pen and brown ink with brush and brown wash, the work exemplifies preparatory techniques for ...