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The drawing shows a large, solitary tree from a central perspective. The tree has an intricately detailed trunk and branches. The backdrop is plain and undifferentiated. The artist uses fine pencil strokes to depict the bark's texture, with branches stretching in different directions and occasional clusters of leaves drawn with light lines. The composition is monochromatic, with shades of gray defining the form. The simple background highlights the tree's prominence.
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The drawing shows a large, solitary tree from a central perspective. The tree has an intricately detailed trunk and branches. The backdrop is plain and undifferentiated. The artist uses fine pencil strokes to depict the bark's texture, with branches stretching in different directions and occasional clusters of leaves drawn with light lines. The composition is monochromatic, with shades of gray defining the form. The simple background highlights the tree's prominence.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

An Oak Tree

John Glover

Date
c. 1795
Medium
pen and black ink with gray wash over graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 12.5 x 16.9 cm (4 15/16 x 6 5/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
1995.52.58
Credit line
Gift of William B. O'Neal
Time span
1776 to 1800
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • British
  • botanical
  • Oak tree
Provenance

Unknown collection, France; (Thos. Agnew & Sons Ltd., London); purchased by William B. O'Neal, Charlottesville, VA, 1969-1994; gift to NGA, 1995.

Inscription

by later hand, upper left verso in graphite: 2326 Glover

NGA object ID 75974. 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.