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Study of a female figure

Drawing
19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This drawing is a preliminary study of a female figure. The figure is turned to the left, while she looks down, her head turned towards the viewer. Her right arm is raised. The sitter’s face and hair has been rendered in greater detail, while her shoulders and rest of the body are loosely sketched in. Another figure is suggested on the left. The drawing was made by Richard Redgrave (1804–1888), a prominent artist during the nineteenth century who became the first curator of the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A). Redgrave sketched the head in pencil, applying black chalk to enhance the darker passages and white chalk to emphasise highlights. Redgrave often drew preparatory studies for his paintings but this figure does not relate to a specific work.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleStudy of a female figure (generic title)
Materials and techniques
The top of the paper is cut round.
Brief description
Drawing, Study of a female figure by Richard Redgrave R.A., pencil, black and white chalk, Britain, 19th century
Physical description
Drawing in pencil chalk on paper of a female figure. The figure is turned to the left, while she looks down, her head turned towards the viewer. Her right arm is raised. The sitter’s face and hair has been rendered in greater detail, while her shoulders and rest of the body are loosely sketched in. Another figure is suggested on the left.
Dimensions
  • Height: 46.5cm
  • Width: 20.0cm (Note: (Dimensions taken from: object measured))
Object history
Provenance: Given by the artist’s granddaughter, Dorothy Margaret Redgrave in 1932.

This donation followed an earlier gift of the artist’s drawings to the V&A by Redgrave’s wife, Rose, in 1889.

This drawing came to the museum as part of a set of 126 drawings originally mounted and bound in an album. The drawings were grouped together and carefully arranged in order to show every aspect of his draughtsmanship. The album was later dismantled prior to the V&A’s 1988 exhibition, Richard Redgrave 1804-1888 (16 March to 22 May 1988), which toured to the Yale Centre for British Art (14 June to 7 August 1988).

The dismantled album has been retained but the pages in the album are loose. Each page is numbered in pencil in the top right-hand corner probably given by the museum at the time of accession. Some of the pages have been cut and removed from the album. The original placement of each drawing is indicated by border lines in ink and glue residue, along with museum objects numbers written in pencil. The complete arrangement was photographed in black and white before the drawings were removed.

For a discussion of the original album see R. Twyman-Heaven, 'Richard Redgrave the Draughtsman' in Susan P. Casteras and Ronald Parkinson (eds.), Richard Redgrave 1804–1888, exh. cat. (New Haven and London, 1988), p.33.
Summary
This drawing is a preliminary study of a female figure. The figure is turned to the left, while she looks down, her head turned towards the viewer. Her right arm is raised. The sitter’s face and hair has been rendered in greater detail, while her shoulders and rest of the body are loosely sketched in. Another figure is suggested on the left. The drawing was made by Richard Redgrave (1804–1888), a prominent artist during the nineteenth century who became the first curator of the South Kensington Museum (now the V&A). Redgrave sketched the head in pencil, applying black chalk to enhance the darker passages and white chalk to emphasise highlights. Redgrave often drew preparatory studies for his paintings but this figure does not relate to a specific work.
Bibliographic reference
Victoria & Albert Museum Department of Prints and Drawings and Department of Paintings, Accessions 1932. London: HMSO, 1933.
Collection
Accession number
E.2185-1932

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
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