A Swarm of Flies above a Spider's Web

1860–84

Not on view

Trained as a history painter, Leloir eventually abandoned academic, historical subjects in favor of genre scenes and book illustrations. He also founded the Société des Aquarellistes Français (Society of French Watercolorists). This delicate study contrasts the airy two-dimensional form of the spider’s web anchoring the lower left corner with the lifelike swarm of flies above, their size varied to suggest their placement in space, some nearer and some farther from the viewer.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: A Swarm of Flies above a Spider's Web
Artist: Alexandre-Louis Leloir (French, Paris 1843–1884 Paris)
Date: 1860–84
Medium: Pen and brown ink with graphite on chine collé
Dimensions: sheet: 11 3/16 x 8 11/16 in. (28.4 x 22.1 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Amy and Emma Welcher and Alice Welcher Erickson, 1967
Object Number: 67.844.5
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Alexandre-Louis Leloir

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Choosing the Dinner, Alexandre-Louis Leloir French, Oil on canvas — Choosing the Dinner
Alexandre-Louis Leloir
1872

Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French — Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century

A Lock on the Stour, David Lucas British, Mezzotint on chine collé; progress proof, touched with black ink, white chalk, and graphite — A Lock on the Stour
David Lucas
After John Constable
1830

Female Figure, Alexandre-Louis Leloir French, Watercolor — Female Figure
Alexandre-Louis Leloir
19th century

Osage Warrior, Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin French, Watercolor and graphite on off-white wove paper, American — Osage Warrior
Charles Balthazar Julien Févret de Saint-Mémin
1805–7

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.