Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 2 pages
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Source Description
In this small drawing, thought to date from early in his artistic career, Bonvin uses a dark square of charcoal to create a recessed area from which a figure emerges.This lends the figure a slightly secretive appearance, as the face is hidden both by the darkness and the stooping position of the woman. As what appears to be a curved chair back appears behind her right shoulder (the left as we look at her), it is possible she is engaged in a domestic task, such as sewing, or has fallen asleep. Both possibilities would keep the figure motionless for the artist to observe. The woman may be Bonvin’s wife, who is also thought to appear in several of the watercolors at the Walters, for example "A Cook in a Red Apron" (WAM 37.1505) and "Woman Sweeping the Yard" (WAM 37.1668).
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
103061
label
Study of a Woman
core
obj
dtoType
drawing
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
103061
sourceUrl
contentType
drawing
stage
normalized
title
Study of a Woman
description
In this small drawing, thought to date from early in his artistic career, Bonvin uses a dark square of charcoal to create a recessed area from which a figure emerges.This lends the figure a slightly secretive appearance, as the face is hidden both by the darkness and the stooping position of the woman. As what appears to be a curved chair back appears behind her right shoulder (the left as we look at her), it is possible she is engaged in a domestic task, such as sewing, or has fallen asleep. Both possibilities would keep the figure motionless for the artist to observe. The woman may be Bonvin’s wife, who is also thought to appear in several of the watercolors at the Walters, for example "A Cook in a Red Apron" (WAM 37.1505) and "Woman Sweeping the Yard" (WAM 37.1668).
provenance
Alexandre Léon Bonvin (1864-1935) [the artist’s son], by inheritance; Louis Bonvin (1897-1967) [his son], by inheritance; Renée Claudel-Bonvin (1921-2022) [his daughter], by inheritance; sale of her estate, Rois et Vaupres, Vire, France, 20 March, 2024; Walters Art Museum, 2024, by purchase.
date
ca. 1850-1855
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
drawings
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
14
height
13
dimensionsRaw
H: 5 1/2 × W: 5 1/8 in. (14 × 13 cm)
Source extras
med
charcoal on paper
creator_ids
2573
collection_ids
none
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
11b790567fb237bf
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
9e00b0422aab236c
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no