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Study of a Child

Artist Benjamin West (American, 1738 – 1820)

Date1785

MediumBlack and red and white chalk on dark blue laid paper laid on tan card

DimensionsIMAGE: 11 5/8 x 9 1/4 in. (29.5 x 23.5 cm)
FRAMED: 29 1/2 x 25 9/16 in. (74.9 x 64.9 cm)

ClassificationsDrawings

Credit LineGift of R.H. Roussey (Lido Fine Arts, Inc. ), in memory of Dr. William H. Wilson, 1983.

Object numberMF83.7

Perhaps a study of the artist's own son, Raphael, the present work evidences that artists were not only looking to the Academies for inspiration and training, but also to the world around them. The long elegant hand resting over the child's body and the small ensemble sketch at the lower left corner indicate that this drawing was intended as a study for a larger composition. Indeed, the child is nearly identical to that at the center of Saint Peter Preaching at Pentecost (Greenville, Bob Jones University Museum and Gallery). The baby's face and form are conveyed through soft, sketchy contours, and the gentle hatching and stumping give weight to his chunky frame. West also demonstrates his virtuosic understanding of color and light through the trois-crayon technique, which gives life and charm to the study by highlighting the infant's childlike grace.

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