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Source Description
This sheet is notable in its presentation of a woman, specifically one of Pierre-Paul Prud’hon’s favorite models, Marguerite—known for her curly hair and striking appearance. Following the artist’s death, more than 100 drawings were discovered in his studio, each portraying a closely studied nude figure like those shown here. The context of these works remains unclear: artists typically sketched from a model early in their training, but Prud’hon did so as a well-established painter. He saw drawing as a solitary practice, working consistently with white and black chalks on a paper described by one critic as “moonlit blue.”
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
136822
label
Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto) Study of a Male Nude (verso)
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
136822
contentType
drawing
title
Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto) Study of a Male Nude (verso)
description
This sheet is notable in its presentation of a woman, specifically one of Pierre-Paul Prud’hon’s favorite models, Marguerite—known for her curly hair and striking appearance. Following the artist’s death, more than 100 drawings were discovered in his studio, each portraying a closely studied nude figure like those shown here. The context of these works remains unclear: artists typically sketched from a model early in their training, but Prud’hon did so as a well-established painter. He saw drawing as a solitary practice, working consistently with white and black chalks on a paper described by one critic as “moonlit blue.”
date
c. 1810
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q80031002
creators
1646
genreSpecific
Drawing
imageCount
1
source
import
cul
France, 19th century
accession
1961.318
Source extras
tec
black and white chalk (both stumped)
tombstone
Study of a Nude Woman, Seated Looking to the Right (recto) Study of a Male Nude (verso), c. 1810. Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (French, 1758–1823). Black and white chalk (both stumped). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1961.318
collection
DR - French
inscriptions
inscription
on recto, lower left, in red ink: stamp of Charles-Boulanger de Boisfremont [Lugt 353]; on verso, lower left, in black ink: stamp of Cleveland Museum of Art [Lugt 605e]; watermark, at bottom: unidentified, large chaplet.
ON SEPERATELY APPLIED PIECES OF PAPER (now removed), printed in black ink: WALTER S. M. BURNS, ESQ. / To be Sold on giving up his Residence at 50, Grosvenor Street, W. / Sale - Sotheby [inscribed in black ink] / DAY OF SALE / Thursday, May 6th, 1926. ; printed in black ink: PIERRE PRUD'HON. / 134 Study of a Nude Woman seated looking to the Right / Black and white chalk on blue paper / 24 in. by 16 3/4 in. (610 mm. by 425 mm.) ; printed in black ink: 2.026
didYouKnow
Pierre-Paul Prud'hon was raised in the Cluny abbey by monks, who recognized and encouraged his artistic talent as a boy.
citations
citation
<em>Catalogue de la collection de M. de Boisfremont fils: Dessins, croquis, études, tableaux et esquisses par Prud’hon</em>. Paris: Hôtel Druout, 1870.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 21, no, 49
citation
Guiffrey, Jean. <em>L’Œuvre de P.-P. Prud’hon</em>. Paris: Armand Colin, 1924.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 439, no. 1151
citation
<em>Catalogue of a Valuable Collection of </em>[. . .] <em>the Property of Walter S. M. Burns, Esq</em>. London: Sotheby’s, 1926.
page_number
Mentioned: p. 21, no. 134
citation
Jaffé, Michael. “The Figurative Arts of the West.” <em>Apollo</em> (December 1963): 457-67.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 467
citation
Richards, Louise S. "Pierre Paul Prud'hon, Study of a Nude Woman." <em>Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art </em>50, no. 2 (February 1963): 26-28.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 26-28; Reproduced: p. 27, cover
citation
Hawley, Henry. <em>Neo-Classicism: Style and Motif</em>. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1964.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: no. 110
citation
Richards, Louise S. "Pierre Paul Prud'hon's 'Study of a Nude Woman.'" <em>The Connoisseur</em> 158, no. 637 (March 1965): 193-94.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 193-94; Reproduced: p. 193
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 164
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 164
citation
Slayman, James Hugus. “The Drawings of Pierre-Paul Prud’hon: A Critical Study.” PhD diss., University of Wisconsin, 1970.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 137-39; Reproduced: p. 315
citation
Rosenberg, Pierre. <em>French Master Drawings of the 17th and 18th Centuries in North American Collections</em>. Exh. cat. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1972.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 199-200, no. 118; Reproduced: pl. 138
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 203
citation
Johnson, Mark M. <em>Idea to Image: Preparatory Studies from the Renaissance to Impressionism</em>. Exh. Cat. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1980.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 20-21; Reproduced: p. 19
citation
Elderfield, John. <em>The Language of the Body: Drawings by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon</em>. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1996.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 75, 79, 104; Reproduced: p. 105, pl. 6
citation
Laveissière, Sylvain. <em>Le Cabinet des dessins: Prud’hon</em>. Paris: Flammarion, 1997.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 82-83
citation
Salsbury, Britany. <em>Nineteenth-Century French Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Lewes, UK, Cleveland, Ohio: GILES; Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: p. 76-79, no. 4
catalogueRaisonne
Guiffrey 1151
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:59:01.234000
sourceId
136822
dept
Drawings
coll
DR - French
med
black and white chalk (both stumped)
creatorTags
male
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
35446a5cb16d266e