Artwork Page for A Scientist Seated at a Desk by Candlelight

Details / Information for A Scientist Seated at a Desk by Candlelight

A Scientist Seated at a Desk by Candlelight

1755

Anna Dorothea Therbusch

(German, 1721/22–1782)
Culture
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
Canvas: 100 x 81 cm (39 3/8 x 31 7/8 in.); Framed: 121.9 x 103.5 cm (48 x 40 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 2023.1
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Therbusch’s painting career began when she was in her 40s, after her children had grown.

Description

Candlelight subjects were unfashionable in Paris where Anna Dorothea Therbusch nonetheless submitted one for candidacy to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. She was denied one of three positions allotted to women artists on the grounds that a woman could not have painted such an accomplished work. Therbusch agreed to be observed painting by the male committee and was admitted to membership on her second attempt.
A vertically oriented oil painting depicts a man with light skin tone seated at a desk. He looks at us, resting his head on his hand. Thick, sweeping paint strokes create his green jacket, white ruffled shirt, and headcloth. To our right, a candle flame glows, illuminating his face and a metal microscope as he emerges from the dark, shadowy background. His right hand holds a small tool over the desk.

A Scientist Seated at a Desk by Candlelight

1755

Anna Dorothea Therbusch

(German, 1721/22–1782)

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