Image

A black ink and wash drawing of a lone female figure wearing a gown leaning against a column. She looks off into the distance. The background is gestural and abstract.

George Romney

Study for the Portrait of Frances Woodley (Mrs. Henry Bankes)

Description

Maker

George Romney (English, 1734-1802)

Title

Study for the Portrait of Frances Woodley (Mrs. Henry Bankes)

Year

ca. 1780

Medium

Black ink and brush and wash on laid paper

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Black ink and brush and wash on laid paper

Materials

wash technique, sepia

Dimensions

48.3 x 28.9 cm (19 x 11 3/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Carroll Carstairs

Object Number

39.034

Type

Drawings and Watercolors

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer

Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum

Mar 12, 2022 – Sep 04, 2022

Label copy

Striking for its free and fluid handling, this drawing is a study for a full-length painted portrait. A few swift brushstrokes describe the elongated body of the sitter, clad in a loose garment and leaning against a pedestal, recalling the pose of a classical statue. The ethereal figure contrasts sharply with the trees in the background, evoked by stain-like areas of darker ink. George Romney’s process involved executing very loose compositional sketches in brush and wash, resolving finer details directly on the canvas.

The Age of Canova

Nov 06, 1957 – Dec 15, 1957

European and American Watercolors and Drawings from the Permanent Collection

Feb 26, 1947 – Mar 10, 1947

Use & Feedback

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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

George Romney (English, 1734-1802)

Study for the Portrait of Frances Woodley (Mrs. Henry Bankes), ca. 1780

Black ink and brush and wash on laid paper

48.3 x 28.9 cm (19 x 11 3/8 inches)

Gift of Carroll Carstairs 39.034

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