Woman and Smaller Male Figure on Grand Stairway [recto]
probably c. 1754/1765
![Woman and Smaller Male Figure on Grand Stairway [recto] by Hubert Robert](https://images.artheonmuseum.org/nga/thumb/woman-and-smaller-male-figure-on-grand-stairway-nga-63007.webp)
Medium
black chalk on laid paper
Dimensions
Overall: 14 x 10.3 cm (5 1/2 x 4 1/16 in.) support: 21.5 x 15.6 cm (8 7/16 x 6 1/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Julius S. Held Collection, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1984.3.32.a
Art Historical Context
Hubert Robert, the 18th-century French master of architectural fantasy often called "Robert des Ru," created this delicate drawing around 1754–1765, likely during his formative years in Rome. Titled *Woman and Smaller Male Figure Grand Stairway [recto]*, it captures a poised woman and a diminutive male figure—perhaps a child or attendant—ascending an opulent, imagined staircase. Rendered in black chalk on laid paper, the intimate scale (just 14 x 10.3 cm) evokes the spontaneity of a sketchbook study, a medium Robert favored for exploring light, shadow, and spatial drama before translating idea...
About the Artist
Hubert Robert · 1733–1808
Hubert Robert, born on May 22, 1733, in Paris, emerged from a modest background; his father, Nicolas Robert, served the influential Choiseul family, whose patronage shaped the young artist's path. After completing his studies at the Jesuit Collège de Navarre in 1751, he entered the atelier of sculptor Michel-Ange Slodtz, who taught him design and perspective before encouraging a shift to painting....