A Portrait of Welby Sherman Asleep in a Chair

Description

George Richmond’s study of his friend, the dozing artist, Welby Sherman, was endearingly inscribed, "As he may be seen after dinner." Dressed in a cravat and jacket and seated in a hard-backed chair, Sherman has momentarily drifted off, perhaps during a lull in friendly conversation. Minute touches of black wash define the bridge of his nose, eyelashes, and brow, and exquisitely subtle graphite hatching expresses the soft curves of the youthful sitter’s features. Touches of pink wash on the lips and cheek breathe life into the figure.

Provenance

Mrs. Miriam Hartley (great-great-grandaughter of the artist) (?-?); (Colnaghi & Co. Ltd., London) (?-?); (Shaunagh Fitzgerald, Ltd., London) (?-?); Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Greene, Cleveland, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (?-1981); Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1981-)

A Portrait of Welby Sherman Asleep in a Chair

George Richmond

1828

Accession Number

1981.29

Medium

graphite with touches of watercolor

Dimensions

Sheet: 16 x 13.2 cm (6 5/16 x 5 3/16 in.)

Classification

Drawing

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Greene by exchange