Monument of Lysicrates
Medium
pen and black ink and watercolor
Dimensions
Overall: 15.4 x 8.7 cm (6 1/16 x 3 7/16 in.) support: 48.8 x 33.7 cm (19 3/16 x 13 1/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Dr. Dieter Erich Meyer
Accession Number
1977.6.19
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the heart of Athens, the Monument of Lysicrates stands as one of ancient Greece's most charming survivals, built in 334 BC to honor a patron's victory in a dramatic choral contest. This exquisite 1890 drawing by German artist Themistocles von Eckenbrecher (1853–1932) captures its delicate Corinthian columns and ornate frieze with pen and black ink, heightened by watercolor washes. At just 15.4 x 8.7 cm, the intimate sheet—on a larger support—suggests a traveler's sketch, likely made during von Eckenbrecher's journeys through the Mediterranean, where he specialized in luminous landsc...