Study of Patin (recto); Sketch of an Open Book, "Compendium Maleficarum" (verso)
Medium
Pen and ink on paper
Dimensions
sheet: 6 13/16 x 4 5/16 in. (17.3 x 11 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Albert Broccoli, 1979
Accession Number
1979.668.1
Art Historical Context
Félicien Rops, a Belgian artist renowned for his provocative Symbolist and Decadent works, created this intimate double-sided drawing on a modest sheet of paper measuring just 6 13/16 x 4 5/16 inches. The recto features a "Study of Patin likely a detailed figure sketch capturing the model's pose or anatomy with Rops' characteristic precision. Flipped over, the verso reveals a sketch of an open book *Compendium Maleficarum*—a notorious 17th-century treatise on witchcraft—hinting at Rops' fascination with the macabre and occult themes that permeated his oeuvre. Executed in pen and ink, a medium...
About the Artist
Félicien Rops · 1833–1898
Félicien Rops, born Félicien Victor Joseph Rops on July 7, 1833, in Namur, Belgium, to a prosperous textile manufacturing family, displayed prodigious artistic talent from youth. The only child of Nicholas Rops and Sophie Maubile, he received private tutoring until age ten, followed by education at a Jesuit school in Namur (1843–1848), the Athénée Royal de Namur, and the Academy of Fine Arts there...