Collection Online as of January 30, 2023

Study of Hands (recto); Sketch of a Hand (verso)

1700s

Part of a set. See all set records

Pierre Lenfant

(French, 1704–1787)

France, 18th century

Red and black chalk heightened with white chalk

Sheet: 20.1 x 20.4 cm (7 15/16 x 8 1/16 in.)

Gift of Victor Spark, New York 1946.447

Location

not on view

Description

After Pierre Lenfant served as the official battlefield artist to King Louis XV in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), he and his family were awarded a lifetime residence at the royal Gobelins Manufactory on the outskirts of Paris. This delicate study in colored chalks may depict a weaver pulling threads in the textile factory.

Inscriptions

Inscription

lower right, in graphite: lenfant

Exhibition history

Eighteenth Century Masterpieces. Society of the Four Arts (organizer) (December 12, 1952-January 4, 1953).

Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 3, 1958-October 11, 1959).

Aspects of Drawing. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 10-April 2, 1961).

Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (January 11-September 10, 1963).

French Drawings from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 13, 1994-March 12, 1995).

Stories From Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).