Four Seated Figures
1751 to 1775
Medium
pen and black ink and graphite on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 6.2 x 9.2 cm (2 7/16 x 3 5/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of William B. O'Neal
Accession Number
1995.52.50
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the National Gallery of Art, *Four Seated Figures* is a delicate drawing by John Flaxman the esteemed English neoclassical sculptor andsman (1755–1826). Created sometime between 1751 and1775—likely an early work from his formative years—this intimate sketch measures just 6.2 x 9.2 cm, executed in pen and black ink with graphite on laid paper. Laid paper, with its characteristic chain lines from handmade production, was a staple of 18th-century drafting, lending an authentic period texture to Flaxman's precise lines. Flaxman, a master of outline drawing inspired by ancient Greek and...
About the Artist
John Flaxman · 1755–1826
John Flaxman (1755–1826) was born in York, England, the son of John Flaxman Sr., a moulder and seller of plaster casts who ran a studio in London's Covent Garden. Largely self-taught amid his father's stock of classical casts, with minimal formal schooling due to childhood illness, Flaxman displayed prodigious talent early on. At age 12, he won a Society of Arts prize for a medallion; by 15, anoth...