John Singer Sargent

Peter Vischer's Sculpture of King Arthur and Phillipine Welser's Tomb in the Hofkirche, Innsbruck, Tyrol

Maker

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925)

Title

Peter Vischer's Sculpture of King Arthur and Phillipine Welser's Tomb in the Hofkirche, Innsbruck, Tyrol

Year

ca. 1871

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

pencil

Supports

Dimensions

28.9 x 38.4 cm (11 3/8 x 15 1/8 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscribed:J.S. 269/J.S. 269a

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Emily Sargent and Mrs. Francis Ormond

Object Number

31.009

Type

Exhibition History

Fantasy, Myth, Legend
Imagining the Past in Works on Paper since 1750
Dec 16, 2023 – Jun 02, 2024

Label copy

This is a drawing an American artist made of a Renaissance-era German sculpture of a medieval British king. John Singer Sargent drew the statue of King Arthur in great detail, compared to the sketchier tomb on the right. One of many figures at the tomb of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (reigned 1508–1519), the sculpture validated the emperor’s power by linking him to prestigious kings of the past. 

A legendary king and a focus of medieval literary traditions, Arthur was a popular fantasy figure at the turn of the last century and remains so today. 

–RN

Image use

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In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

John Singer Sargent (American, 1856-1925)
Peter Vischer's Sculpture of King Arthur and Phillipine Welser's Tomb in the Hofkirche, Innsbruck, Tyrol, ca. 1871
Pencil on paper
28.9 x 38.4 cm (11 3/8 x 15 1/8 inches)
Gift of Emily Sargent and Mrs. Francis Ormond 31.009

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