Ten Men Pulling on Ropes
1701 to 1725
Medium
pen and black ink with gray wash on pale greenish laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 13.3 x 21.3 cm (5 1/4 x 8 3/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Joseph F. McCrindle Collection
Accession Number
2009.70.242
Art Historical Context
Claude-Joseph Vernet created this intimate drawing during the early decades of the eighteenth century, a time when French artists were exploring dynamic scenes of human labor and the sea. Best known for his luminous marine paintings, Vernet often captured the energy of sailors and workers, and this sheet likely served as a preparatory study for one of his larger compositions. The subject of ten men straining together at ropes evokes the collective effort required for maritime life, a theme that resonated in an era of expanding trade and naval power. Executed in pen and black ink with gray was...
About the Artist
Claude-Joseph Vernet
Claude-Joseph Vernet and his direct descendants are the last representatives of the Avignon School which had provided a continuous line of artists since the 14th century. It originated at the time when Bernard de Goth, Archbishop of Bordeaux, became pope in the name of Clement V and transferred the seat of the papacy to Avignon where he established an influential artistic community. Comment on wor...