The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 18, 2025
Study of the Sabine Statue from the Villa Medici
c. 1775–1780
Location: Not on view
Description
This drawing depicts a classical sculpture (see photo) said to represent a Sabine (the Sabines were a village people who resided northeast of ancient Rome). David saw the statue at Rome's Villa Medici, a fact he noted by inscribing the location at the lower left corner of this study. The artist made the sketch early in his career, during his 1775-80 stay in Italy as winner of the coveted Rome Prize scholarship. This and the many other drawings and tracings that David made after ancient sculpture and vases in Italy helped him later become the leader of neoclassical painting.- Estate of the artist [first atelier sale, Paris (17 April 1826), no. 66 (Album 10 of the "douze grands livres de croquis")]; [second atelier sale, Paris (11 March 1835), no. 16 (Album 10)]; M. A. Chassagnolle, Paris, as of 1835 (Album 10); Solange de Ludre Frolois (marquise de Ludre) (?-1949) (Album 10); marquise de Lau d'Allemans (Album 10) (according to Butkin records); Madame de Chaumont-Quitry (Album 10) (according to Butkin records); [Galerie Charpentier, Paris (15 March 1956), no. 11 (Album 10)]; [Germain Seligmann, New York (1958?)]; [Christie's, London (7 July 1959), no. 53 ("Squires" according to typed price list of sale)]; [Sotheby's, London (4 July 1975), no. 149]; [Jenkins Company, Austin, Texas]; [Stuart Greenspan, New York (1979)]; purchased in 1979.
- Foster, Carter E., Sylvain Bellenger, and Patrick Shaw Cable. French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. Referenced: cat. no. 17, p. 44-45, Reproduced: p. 45
- French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001); Dahesh Museum of Art (February 19-May 18, 2002).
- {{cite web|title=Study of the Sabine Statue from the Villa Medici|url=false|author=Jacques-Louis David|year=c. 1775–1780|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2008.343