Three Friezes of Chinese Figures
1800–1856
Medium
Graphite
Dimensions
sheet: 8 3/4 x 6 3/4 in. (22.2 x 17.1 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1967
Accession Number
67.708.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Isaac Robert Cruikshank a prominent British caricaturist active in the early 19th century and brother to the famed George Cruiksh, created *Three Friezes of Chinese Figures* sometime between 1800 and 1856. This graphite drawing, measuring just 8 3/4 x 6 3/4 inches, captures three horizontal frieze-like compositions brimming with lively Chinese figures—men and women amid musical instruments. The linear arrangement evokes ancient decorative reliefs, reimagined through Cruikshank's whimsical, satirical lens, a hallmark of his style that often poked fun at exotic cultures during Britain's Romantic...