Study for Head of the Madonna
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Accession Number
1914-38-133
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Francis Augustus Lathrop (9–1909), a distinguished American artist and illustrator, created *Study for Head of the* around 1895. Born in Hawaii to missionary parents and trained in New York and Europe, Lathrop was a key figure in the Aesthetic Movement blending Pre-Raphaelite influences with American decorative arts. He excelled in stained glass, murals, and book illustrations, often drawing on Renaissance ideals of beauty and spirituality—qualities evident in this preparatory study of the Virgin Mary's serene face. As a "study," this work from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection...