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Portrait of Sir Sidney Smith in the Temple Prison

1796
Not on view
A contemporary of Prud’hon and Girodet, Hennequin was briefly in the studio of David before going to Rome. As a devoted Jacobin, he was imprisoned following the death of Robespierre. There, he made the acquaintance of William Sidney Smith (1764-1840), Commodore, and later Admiral, in the British navy who had been captured near Le Havre and would stage a daring escape two years later. After Smith had commissioned a group portrait from Hennequin (British Museum, 1963-12-14-14), the artist presented him this drawing as a gift. Smith is shown calm and collected in his naval uniform, gazing out the barred window. The following year, he would have the drawing etched by Maria Cosway (1760-1838) (National Portrait Gallery, London, NPG D6792). The technique of the drawing showcases Hennequin’s skill with pen and ink; the forms are first delineated in his characteristic taut and springy outline, and the modelling and suggestion of tone are executed in a range of marks, ranging from short hatch marks, to curlicues, to dots.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Portrait of Sir Sidney Smith in the Temple Prison
  • Artist: Philippe Auguste Hennequin (Lyon 1762–1833 Leuze, near Tournai)
  • Date: 1796
  • Medium: Pen and brown ink over black chalk
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 9 5/8 × 7 5/8 in. (24.5 × 19.4 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Stephen A. Geiger Gift, in honor of George R. Goldner, 2015
  • Object Number: 2015.290
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Milo of Croton, Philippe Auguste Hennequin French, Etching
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View of Lyon, Philippe Auguste Hennequin French, Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, over traces of black chalk on two joined sheets of paper
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Queen Esther Approaching the Palace of Ahasuerus, Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée) French, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, heightened with white, over black chalk
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