Gentleman with a Riding Crop
1726 to 1750
Medium
red chalk on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.2 x 25.8 cm (13 7/8 x 10 3/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Julius S. Held Collection
Accession Number
1985.1.69
Art Historical Context
Behold *Gentleman with a Riding Crop*, a refined drawing by French artist Pierre Alexandre Wille, created between 1726 and 1750. Rendered in warm red chalk on laid paper, this intimate study measures 35.2 x 25.8 cm and captures a poised male figure clutching a riding crop—a symbol of equestrian pursuits and aristocratic leisure in 18th-century Europe. Now part of the Julius S. Held Collection at the National Gallery of Art (Department CG-E), it exemplifies the era's fascination with portraiture and everyday elegance. Red chalk, prized for its subtle tonal gradations and lifelike warmth, was a...