Head of King Solomon (recto); Classical Head (verso)

ca. 1812

Not on view

Ambitious to prove himself as a history painter, Haydon painted a large "Judgment of Solomon" between 1812-14. This is one of a pair of drawings where he developed the key figure of the king, a subject he discussed in his journal on April 8, 1812: "I wish to express Solomon a fine youthful king of Israel...cllothed in gold, with a sceptre and a crimson robe, his face youthful--dignity commingled with wisdom." The mature, dark-haired figure who appears here was an early conception, replaced later with a younger, more classical looking king. Haydon worked from models and studied Raphael's Cartoons to establish the composition that he exhibited at the Oil and Water Colour Society, Spring Gardens in 1814 (now Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery, UK).

Artwork Details

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Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: Head of King Solomon (recto); Classical Head (verso)
Artist: Benjamin Robert Haydon (British, Plymouth 1786–1846 London)
Date: ca. 1812
Medium: Black chalk with white chalk on brown paper (recto); black chalk (verso)
Dimensions: Sheet: 16 13/16 in. × 13 in. (42.7 × 33 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Bequest of James David Draper, from the Robert Isaacson Collection, 2019
Object Number: 2021.15.10a, b
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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Head of King Solomon (recto); Study of a boy's head and arm (verso), Benjamin Robert Haydon British, Black chalk — Head of King Solomon (recto); Study of a boy's head and arm (verso)
Benjamin Robert Haydon
1813

Edward Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby

Multiple artists/makers

1833

The Lake of Zug, Joseph Mallord William Turner British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache) with reductive techniques over graphite — The Lake of Zug
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The Entombment, Sir Edward Burne-Jones British, Green, blue, brown and touches of reddish bodycolor, heightened with white gouache (bodycolor) on green paper — The Entombment
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Loggia of the Ducal Palace, Venice, John Ruskin British, Watercolor over graphite — Loggia of the Ducal Palace, Venice
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