Sketches: Profile Heads, Coins or Medals (recto); Trees (verso)

Art Historical Context

Henri Cros's *Sketches: Profile Heads, Coins or Medalsrecto); Trees (o)*, created around 1885, offers a fascinating glimpse into the artist's versatile sketchbook practice. Rendered in watercolor and graphite on cream laid paper (24.4 × 34.4 cm), the recto features precise profiles evoking classical coins or medals—likely studies inspired by antiquity—while the verso captures flowing trees, blending human form with nature. This dual-sided composition exemplifies the economical use of paper common among 19th-century draftsmen. Cros, a French artist renowned for his innovative enamel and ceramic techniques like *pâte-sur-pâte*, demonstrates his drawing skill here amid the vibrant artistic ferment of late 19th-century Paris. The combination of watercolor's fluidity and graphite's sharp lines allowed for spontaneous yet detailed exploration, bridging classical revivalism with naturalistic observation during an era dominated by Impressionism and emerging Symbolism. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings Department and classified as a watercolor, this work reveals the preparatory mindset of artists like Cros, whose sketches often informed larger decorative projects. It invites visitors to appreciate the intimate, behind-the-scenes creativity that fueled grander masterpieces.