The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

A Portrait of Welby Sherman Asleep in a Chair

A Portrait of Welby Sherman Asleep in a Chair

1828
(British, 1809–1896)
England, 19th century
graphite with touches of watercolor
Sheet: 16 x 13.2 cm (6 5/16 x 5 3/16 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Greene by exchange 1981.29
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Both George Richmond and Welby Sherman belonged to a group of artists who called themselves the Ancients, who looked to the Middle Ages for inspiration and celebrated the divine in nature.

Description

George Richmond’s study of his friend, the dozing artist, Welby Sherman, was endearingly inscribed, "As he may be seen after dinner." Dressed in a cravat and jacket and seated in a hard-backed chair, Sherman has momentarily drifted off, perhaps during a lull in friendly conversation. Minute touches of black wash define the bridge of his nose, eyelashes, and brow, and exquisitely subtle graphite hatching expresses the soft curves of the youthful sitter’s features. Touches of pink wash on the lips and cheek breathe life into the figure.
  • ?-?
    Mrs. Miriam Hartley (great-great-grandaughter of the artist)
    ?-?
    (Colnaghi & Co. Ltd., London)
    ?-?
    (Shaunagh Fitzgerald, Ltd., London)
    ?-1981
    Mr. and Mrs. Edward B. Greene, Cleveland, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1981-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Lister, Raymond. George Richmond: A Critical Biography. London: Robin Garton, 1981. Mentioned and reproduced: pp. 17-18, no. 7
    Lemonedes, Heather. British Drawings: The Cleveland Museum of Art. Exh. Cat. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2013. Mentioned: pp. 74-75, 148, no. 23; Reproduced: p. 75
  • British Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art . The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 10-May 26, 2013).
    The Birth and Flowering of British Romantic Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 1-July 22, 1990).
    National Schools of Style. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 14-September 18, 1983).
    The Year in Review for 1981. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).
  • {{cite web|title=A Portrait of Welby Sherman Asleep in a Chair|url=false|author=George Richmond|year=1828|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1981.29