The Hours
ca. 1800
Medium
Pen and brown ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 3/4 x 6 in. (19.7 x 15.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of A.C. Detwiler, 1930
Accession Number
30.124
Tags
Art Historical Context
Samuel Shelley’s “The Hours,” created around 1800, offers a delicate glimpse into the enduring appeal of classical mythology at the turn of the nineteenth century. Rendered in pen and brown ink on a modest sheet measuring just under eight inches, the drawing depicts female nudes that evoke the Hours—mythological figures associated with the cycles of time and the seasons. The linear precision of the medium allows Shelley to emphasize graceful contours and subtle movement, inviting viewers to appreciate both the idealized human form and the quiet intimacy of a preparatory study. As a work now h...