Image

A sketchbook page featuring a graphite and watercolor drawing of a French country city. The right half of the image is left unfinished, with only a few graphite marks placed.
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Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier

Page from a Sketchbook: View of a Town (Antibes?)

Description

Maker

Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier (French, 1815-1891)

Title

Page from a Sketchbook: View of a Town (Antibes?)

Year

ca. 1835-1890

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

ink, wash technique, white heightening, watercolor

Supports

Dimensions

25.7 x 19.7 x 2.2 cm (10 1/8 x 7 3/4 x 7/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Upper left corner of inside of first page:sticker:Robertson & Co./99 Long Acre,/London.Slipcase:brown cloth, with blue leather spine with gold stamp title.

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Jesse Metcalf Fund

Object Number

80.238

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer
Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum
Mar 12, 2022 – Sep 04, 2022

Label copy

A luminous glimpse of a town occupies most of the sheet in this sketchbook. Rapidly drawn on site, the sketch richly details light, color, and form to capture a passing moment. Messonier transcribed his observations beginning at the left-hand side of the sheet, gradually trailing off as he moved right. On the facing page, daubs of watercolor trace his process as he tested his brush before applying it to this study. Committed to sketching from life, Meissonier once stated, “Knowing how to look is everything.”

Use & Feedback

Image use

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This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier (French, 1815-1891)
Page from a Sketchbook: View of a Town (Antibes?), ca. 1835-1890
Graphite, watercolor, and opaque watercolor on blue wove paper, bound
25.7 x 19.7 x 2.2 cm (10 1/8 x 7 3/4 x 7/8 inches)
Jesse Metcalf Fund 80.238

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