Study for a plate from Telemachus
c. 1797
Medium
Ink wash on paper
Dimensions
2.7 × 5 cm (1 1/8 × 2 in.)
Classification
ink or chalk wash
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
131635
Art Historical Context
Thomas Stothard (1755–1834), a prominent British artist of the Romantic era, was renowned for his delicate illustrations of literary and historical scenes, often drawing from classical mythology and epic poetry. This intimate *Study for a plate from Telemachus*, created around 1797, served as a preparatory sketch for engraving in a book edition inspired by François Fénelon's popular 17th-century novel *Les Aventures de Télémaque*. The work captures a moment from the adventures of Telemachus, Odysseus's son from Homer's *Odyssey*, reflecting the late 18th-century fascination with ancient Greek ...
About the Artist
Thomas Stothard · 1755–1834
Thomas Stothard RA (1755–1834) was born on 17 August 1755 at the Black Horse Inn in London's Long Acre, the son of a prosperous publican originally from Stutton near Tadcaster. A delicate child, he was sent at age five to relatives in Yorkshire, attending schools in Acomb, Tadcaster, and later Ilford, Essex, where he honed his drawing skills by copying prints. Following his father's death in 1770,...