Head of a Woman

Head of a Woman

1894 or after

Thomas Wilmer Dewing

(American, 1851-1938)

America, 19th century

Silverpoint

Support: Cream(3) wove paper prepared with a beige(1) ground

Sheet: 35.3 x 30.2 cm (13 7/8 x 11 7/8 in.)

The Fanny Tewksbury King Collection 1956.725

Location

not on view

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Description

This remarkable drawing reveals the beauty of silverpoint, which requires scratching with a metal point on to a prepared paper. A demanding technique that allows no corrections, the method was used in the Renaissance by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, and it was revived in the late 19th century. Beginning in 1896, the art supply company Winsor-Newton offered a kit with a silverpoint tool and prepared paper. Dewing skillfully exploited the qualities of this technique to create an image with a silvery sheen, which seems to float upon the paper.

See also
Collection: 
DR - American 19th Century
Department: 
Drawings
Type of artwork: 
Drawing
Medium: 
Silverpoint
Credit line: 
The Fanny Tewksbury King Collection

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