Frieze of Warriors
n.d.
Medium
Black chalk on off white laid paper, tipped on ivory wove paper
Dimensions
12.2 × 22.9 cm (4 13/16 × 9 1/16 in.)
Classification
chalk
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
115040
Art Historical Context
Thomas Stothard's *Frieze of Warriors* a captivating preparatory drawing that evokes the grandeur of classical antiquity through a dynamic procession of armored figures. Created in black chalk on off-white paper—tipped onto ivory wove paper for preservation—this intimate work measures just 12.2 × 22.9 cm, highlighting Stothard's skill in rendering movement and form on a modest scale. As a prominent British artist (1755–1834) and Royal Academician, Stothard was renowned for his neoclassical and Romantic illustrations, often drawing from mythology, literature, and ancient history for book design...
About the Artist
Thomas Stothard · 1755–1834
Thomas Stothard RA (1755–1834) was born on 17 August 1755 at the Black Horse Inn in London's Long Acre, the son of a prosperous publican originally from Stutton near Tadcaster. A delicate child, he was sent at age five to relatives in Yorkshire, attending schools in Acomb, Tadcaster, and later Ilford, Essex, where he honed his drawing skills by copying prints. Following his father's death in 1770,...