Collection Online as of January 31, 2023
Sheet of Studies: Seated Man, Head of a Dog, Seated Woman
Claude-Joseph Vernet
(French, 1714–1789)
Red chalk (seated man); black chalk (head of a dog); pen and brown ink over black chalk (seated woman)
Sheet: 12.4 x 12.7 cm (4 7/8 x 5 in.)
Bequest of Nicholas J. Velloney 2003.265
Location
not on view
Description
At age 20, Claude-Joseph Vernet traveled to Italy, where he remained for two decades, painting landscape views of the Roman countryside and stormy, imaginary seascapes for Italian aristocrats and wealthy French and British tourists. Vernet populated his paintings with contemporary figures based on sketches from life, such as the three shown here. Drawn at different times in different media, together they form an amusing glimpse of Italian street life in the 1700s.