Study for a Lunette
1890/1897
Medium
oil and graphite on brown wove paper
Dimensions
image (lunette): 15.2 × 28.8 cm (6 × 11 5/16 in.) mount: 30.2 x 46.2 cm (11 7/8 x 18 3/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Borghi
Accession Number
1995.24.21
Art Historical Context
**Study for a Lunette by Charles Sprague Pearce (1–1914) is a captivating preparatory drawing from the 1890s, showcasing the American artist's meticulous approach to large-scale decorative projects. Pearce, who trained in Paris under masters like Alexandre Cabanel and studied alongside John Singer Sargent, blended French academic precision with American vigor. This lunette study—designed for a semi-circular architectural space—hints at his interest in allegorical or historical themes, common in the murals he created for public buildings during this era of Beaux-Arts revival. Executed in oil a...
About the Artist
Charles Sprague Pearce · 1851–1914
Charles Sprague Pearce, born on October 13, 1851, in Boston, Massachusetts, grew up in a cultured family immersed in art and exotic imports; his father, Shadrach H. Pearce, ran a business dealing in Chinese porcelain, sparking the young artist's fascination with Eastern motifs. After attending the Brimmer School and Boston Latin School, Pearce worked briefly in the family firm before departing for...