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The image depicts a woman in a graceful, airborne pose with arms outstretched, holding billowing fabric. She has delicate facial features, wavy hair framing her face, and wears a flowing garment. The sketch is in charcoal or pencil with a plain background showing a faint grid pattern.
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The image depicts a woman in a graceful, airborne pose with arms outstretched, holding billowing fabric. She has delicate facial features, wavy hair framing her face, and wears a flowing garment. The sketch is in charcoal or pencil with a plain background showing a faint grid pattern.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Muse

John Vanderlyn

Date
1815/1818
Medium
charcoal and white chalk heightened with white on pinkish-tan paper, squared for transfer
Dimensions
overall: 50.1 x 47 cm (19 3/4 x 18 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2006.154.1
Credit line
Gift of the Monica and Hermen Greenberg Foundation in honor of Monica Lind Greenberg
Time span
1801 to 1825
Department
CG-W
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • American
  • female
  • figure
  • Muse
Provenance

by descent to Catherine Vanderlyn (1825-1892), his niece; Judge A. Schoonmaker; by descent to Lizzy Rioggen (Mrs. William) Laughton, his daughter; Fred Johnston (c. 1963); (Kennedy Galleries Inc., New York); (Childs Gallery, Boston); purchased 2007 by NGA.

Inscription

lower right verso in graphite by unknown hand: CGL56119-35R

NGA object ID 136169. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.