Five Sketches of Lions: Lioness with Cub
Medium
Pen and brown ink, with brush and brown wash, over graphite on ivory paper
Dimensions
6.6 × 8.4 cm (2 5/8 × 3 5/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
112922
Art Historical Context
Henry Stacy Marks, a prominent 19th-century British artist known for lively depictions of birds and animals infused with humor and historical flair, created this charming sheet of *Five Sketches of Lions: Lioness with*. Though undated, the work exemplifies the Victorian fascination with natural history and exotic wildlife, likely serving as preparatory studies for larger paintings or illustrations. Rendered on a diminutive ivory paper (just 6.6 × 8.4 cm), these intimate vignettes capture the lioness's protective grace and her cub's playful energy from multiple angles, inviting viewers to appre...
About the Artist
Henry Stacy Marks · 1829–1898
Henry Stacy Marks (1829–1898) was born on 13 September 1829 in London, the fourth child of coachbuilder John Isaac Marks and Elizabeth Pally. Initially apprenticed in his father's trade and briefly working as a clerk, Marks displayed early artistic talent, learning to paint heraldry for carriages. He began formal training around 1847 at James Mathews Leigh's art school in Newman Street, where he b...