Man with a Walking Stick, Seen in Profile [recto]
probably c. 1754/1765
![Man with a Walking Stick, Seen in Profile [recto] by Hubert Robert](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/man-with-a-walking-stick-seen-in-profile-recto-nga-63001.webp)
Medium
black chalk on laid paper
Dimensions
Overall: 13.7 x 10.2 cm (5 3/8 x 4 in.) support: 21.5 x 15.6 cm (8 7/16 x 6 1/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Julius S. Held Collection, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1984.3.29.a
Art Historical Context
Hubert Robert, the eminent 18th-century French artist often called "Robert des Ruines" for his evocative landscapes filled with ancient architecture, created *Man with a Walking Stick, Seen in Profile [recto]* around 1754–1765. intimate black chalk drawing laid paper captures a solitary figure in sharp profile, measuring just 13.7 x 10.2 cm. Likely made during Robert's formative years in Rome—where he studied from 1754 to 1765—it exemplifies his skill in quick, observational sketches that honed his mastery of light, form, and human presence amid grander visions. Black chalk, a favored medium ...
About the Artist
Hubert Robert · 1733–1808
Hubert Robert, born on May 22, 1733, in Paris, emerged from a modest background; his father, Nicolas Robert, served the influential Choiseul family, whose patronage shaped the young artist's path. After completing his studies at the Jesuit Collège de Navarre in 1751, he entered the atelier of sculptor Michel-Ange Slodtz, who taught him design and perspective before encouraging a shift to painting....