Description
Closely associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Frederick Sandys was a friend of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and played an active role in the bohemian artistic, literary, and theatrical circles of the day in London. This is a portrait of Mary Emma Jones, the artist’s favorite model, mistress, and mother of his nine children. An extraordinarily skilled draftsman, here he worked in tone rather than line, delicately drawing in chalk on a rough textured sheet and leaving the low points of the paper untouched to produce a stippled, hazy effect.
Provenance
J. Beecroft, Esq., Bradford, England (?-1927); (his sale, Christie's, London, February 21, 1927, no. 68) (1927); Dr. J. N. Nicoll (after 1927-1964); (his sale, Sotheby's, London, October 29, 1964, no. 225) (1964); C. Powney, Esq. (after 1964-before 1966); (Sotheby's, London, December 21, 1966, no. 305) (1966); Anthony C. W. Crane (after 1966-before 1992); (his sale, Sotheby's, London, November 12, 1992, no. 157) (1992); Hartnoll (after 1992-before 1997); (Kate Ganz Ltd., New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH) (after 1992-1997); Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1997-)
Accession Number
1997.7
Medium
black, brown, and red chalk
Dimensions
Sheet: 55.9 x 39.2 cm (22 x 15 7/16 in.); Secondary Support: 57.1 x 40 cm (22 1/2 x 15 3/4 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
