Jean Jacques François Le Barbier
1738-1826
Obverse and Reverse of Two Greek Coins
6 15/16 x 5 7/16 inches (176 x 139 mm)
Pen and black ink and wash, over black chalk, on laid paper. Adhered to wove paper mount, 12 1/2 x 9 7/16 inches (320 x 239 mm)
1968.16:2
Gift of Mr. John F. Fleming.
Notes
This drawing by Jean-Jacques-Francois Le Barbier depicts Greek coins bearing profiles of young men, their hair held back with ribbons, on the obverse and images of a horseman and a charioteer on the reverse. Two laurel wreaths, symbols of victory, suggest the men may be heroes or athletes, possibly in an Olympic contest.
Le Barbier was a French painter, author, and illustrator who studied in Paris, Switzerland, and Rome, and was admitted to the Académie in 1785. He adopted a neoclassical style under the influence of David and took a scholarly interest in Greek culture and art, as reflected in this drawing. Le Barbier closely followed the political unrest and revolutions in North America and France, and one of his most notable works is the representation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen made in 1789 for the Assemblee Nationale.
Le Barbier was a French painter, author, and illustrator who studied in Paris, Switzerland, and Rome, and was admitted to the Académie in 1785. He adopted a neoclassical style under the influence of David and took a scholarly interest in Greek culture and art, as reflected in this drawing. Le Barbier closely followed the political unrest and revolutions in North America and France, and one of his most notable works is the representation of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen made in 1789 for the Assemblee Nationale.
Inscriptions/Markings
Watermark: Fleur-de-lis in shield, surmounted by crown, (Strasbourg lily), fragment.
Associated names
Olry-Roederer, Louis, former owner.
Fleming, John F. (John Francis), 1910- former owner.
Fleming, John F. (John Francis), 1910- former owner.
Bibliography
Ryskamp, Charles, ed. Sixteenth Report to the Fellows of the Pierpont Morgan Library, 1969-1971. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1973, p. 117.
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Catalog link
Department