Scene in an Artist's Studio (in Sketch Book With Drawings on Twenty-six Leaves)
ca. 1849
Medium
Brush and India ink wash over graphite
Dimensions
Sheet (page): 7 7/8 x 10 7/8 in. (20 x 27.6 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1942
Accession Number
42.21(5)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Frederic, Lord Leighton, one of Victorian Britain's most celebrated artists, created *Scene in an Artist's* around 1849, when he was just a teenager honing his craft. This intimate drawing, part of a sketchbook with twenty-six leaves, captures a lively moment inside an artist's workspace. Rendered in brush and India ink wash graphite on a modest 7 7/8 x 10 7/8-inch sheet, it showcases Leighton's early mastery of mixed media, blending precise graphite underdrawings with fluid ink washes for depth and atmosphere. The scene teems with life: men and women mingle amid animals and birds, evoking th...
About the Artist
Frederic, Lord Leighton · 1830–1896
Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton (1830–1896), was born on 3 December 1830 in Scarborough, England, to a prosperous medical family. His father, Dr. Frederic Septimus Leighton, and mother, Augusta Susan, provided him with financial security throughout his life, while his grandfather, Sir James Boniface Leighton, had served as physician to Russian tsars Alexander I and Nicholas I. After early ed...