The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Seated Man and Woman

c. 1830–60

Célestin François Nanteuil

(French, 1813–1873)
France, 19th century
pen and brown ink, watercolor and scoring (recto), pen and brown ink (verso) on medium weight wove paper
Sheet: 25.8 x 19.8 cm (10 3/16 x 7 13/16 in.)
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2018.1064
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Nanteuil was close friends with the writer and artist Victor Hugo, who influenced his work.

Description

This drawing shows Célestin Nanteuil’s accomplishments as both a fine artist and illustrator. On one side, a couple converses, depicted in dense areas of ink—a practice Nanteuil learned from his friend, the author and artist Victor Hugo. Nanteuil scratched into these dark areas to create highlights. The back of the sheet features casually sketched vignettes, probably designed to accompany text in a book.
  • Shepherd Gallery, New York, NY
    September 1975
    Mr. Noah L. Butkin [1918-1980]
    1980-2005
    Mrs. Muriel Butkin [1915-2008]
    December 3, 2018
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Seated Man and Woman|url=false|author=Célestin François Nanteuil|year=c. 1830–60|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2018.1064