The image depicts an elderly man from the waist up in a seated position. He is leaning forward, resting his left elbow on a surface while supporting his head with his hand. His eyes are closed, and he has a prominent beard and mustache, with thinning hair that recedes from his temples. The man is wearing a robe-like garment that covers his body, featuring a draped fabric that falls into soft folds. His other hand rests on his leg, open-palmed. The background is a plain, textured surface that gives depth to the image, with the edges of the garment and surface providing contrast against the backdrop. There are no visible objects or jewelry in the composition.
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The image depicts an elderly man from the waist up in a seated position. He is leaning forward, resting his left elbow on a surface while supporting his head with his hand. His eyes are closed, and he has a prominent beard and mustache, with thinning hair that recedes from his temples. The man is wearing a robe-like garment that covers his body, featuring a draped fabric that falls into soft folds. His other hand rests on his leg, open-palmed. The background is a plain, textured surface that gives depth to the image, with the edges of the garment and surface providing contrast against the backdrop. There are no visible objects or jewelry in the composition.

National Gallery of Art · Print

A Seated Elderly Man Asleep

Jean-Charles Francois, after Nicholas Henry Jeaurat de Bertry

Date
c. 1758
Medium
chalk manner, softground etching (and burnishing?) over etched texture (and lavis?)
Dimensions
plate: 38.9 x 28 cm (15 5/16 x 11 in.) sheet: 39.5 x 28 cm (15 9/16 x 11 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
2012.15.1
Credit line
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Time span
1751 to 1775
Department
CG-E

Subjects and terms

  • softground
  • stages of life
  • crayon-manner engraving
Provenance

(R. E. Lewis & Daughter, San Rafael, CA); purchased 2011 by NGA.

Inscription

lower left in plate: par NV jaurant peintre du Cabinet du Roi; lower right in plate: JG fecit et exe C. P. R.; lower right in graphite: Francois; verso: rough sketch in graphite of a man's head

NGA object ID 157175. 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.