Henry Fuseli
1741-1825
Portrait of Martha Hess
late 1778 or early 1779
20 3/8 x 13 7/8 inches (518 x 356 mm)
Black chalk with white chalk, on light brown laid paper.
1954.1
Purchased as the gift of Mrs. W. Murray Crane.
Notes
Fuseli, who had moved to England in 1763, returned to his native Zurich only once for a six-month visit in 1778-79. During those months, he made a number of portraits of Martha Hess, the niece of Fuseli's boyhood friend Johann Kaspar Lavater. Two of these portraits were later used as illustrations for Lavater's famous book on judging character from facial features, the so-called Essays on Physiognomy. -- Exhibition Label, from "Life Lines: Portrait Drawings from Dürer to Picasso."
Associated names
Oppé, A. P. (Adolf Paul), 1878-1957, former owner.
Calmann, Hans M., former owner.
Crane, Josephine Boardman, 1873-1972, donor.
Calmann, Hans M., former owner.
Crane, Josephine Boardman, 1873-1972, donor.
Bibliography
Pierpont Morgan Library. Review of Acquisitions, 1949-1968. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1969, p. 146.
Adams, Frederick B., Jr. Fifth Annual Report to the Fellows of the Pierpont Morgan Library. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1954, p. 70-72.
Wiles, Stephanie. To Observe and Imagine : British Drawings, 1600-1900. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1998. no. 44, repr.
From Leonardo to Pollock: Master drawings from the Morgan Library. New York: Morgan Library, 2006, cat. no. 60, p. 128-129.
Adams, Frederick B., Jr. Fifth Annual Report to the Fellows of the Pierpont Morgan Library. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1954, p. 70-72.
Wiles, Stephanie. To Observe and Imagine : British Drawings, 1600-1900. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1998. no. 44, repr.
From Leonardo to Pollock: Master drawings from the Morgan Library. New York: Morgan Library, 2006, cat. no. 60, p. 128-129.
Artist
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Catalog link
Department