Roman Statue of a Muse (Anchyrrhoe)
1726 to 1750
Medium
pen and black ink with gray wash on laid paper
Dimensions
Overall (approximate): 21.2 x 13.7 cm (8 3/8 x 5 3/8 in.) support: 24 x 15.8 cm (9 7/16 x 6 1/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1980.21.1
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate yet precise *Roman Statue of a Muse (chyrrhoe)*, a captivating drawing by Jacques-Louis David, the preeminent French Neoclassical artist. Created between 1726 and 1750 on laid paper using pen and black ink with wash, this work measures about 21.2 x 13.7 cm. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection through the Ailsa Mellon Fund, it exemplifies David's early fascination with ancient Roman sculpture—a cornerstone of his training and revolutionary style. David, renowned for grand history paintings like *The Oath of the Horatii*, honed his mastery through meticulous c...
About the Artist
Jacques-Louis David · 1748–1825
Jacques-Louis David, born on August 30, 1748, in Paris, emerged as the preeminent French painter of Neoclassicism, a movement emphasizing austere lines, moral clarity, and classical antiquity as antidotes to Rococo frivolity. Orphaned young after his father's death in a duel, he was raised by prosperous architect uncles and educated at the Collège des Quatre-Nations. Defying family expectations, D...