Seated Man Leaning on his Arm
Medium
Pen and black ink, with touches of white gouache, on cream wove paper
Dimensions
12.9 × 16.9 cm (5 1/8 × 6 11/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
46988
Art Historical Context
Henry Stacy Marks (1829–1924), a British artist celebrated for his witty genre scenes featuring birds and barristers, created *Seated Man Leaning his Arm*, a delicate pen and ink drawing from the late 19th century. undated work captures a pensive figure in a moment of quiet repose, showcasing Marks' keen observation of human posture and expression. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings Department, it exemplifies the artist's exploratory sketches, likely a study for larger paintings where everyday figures often appeared amid his humorous narratives. Executed on cream wove pa...
About the Artist
Henry Stacy Marks · 1829–1898
Henry Stacy Marks (1829–1898) was born on 13 September 1829 in London, the fourth child of coachbuilder John Isaac Marks and Elizabeth Pally. Initially apprenticed in his father's trade and briefly working as a clerk, Marks displayed early artistic talent, learning to paint heraldry for carriages. He began formal training around 1847 at James Mathews Leigh's art school in Newman Street, where he b...