Sculptor at Work on a Colossal Statue

Former Attribution Formerly attributed to Johann Tobias Sergel Swedish

mid-18th century

Not on view

This image of an artist carving a work that dwarfs him while a trumpeter plays is one of numerous autobiographical drawings the Swedish sculptor Ehrensvärd made throughout his career that reveal both the convivial and the melancholy sides of his personality. While it encapsulates the Piranesi-esque idea of modern man overwhelmed by the magnitude of the monuments of antiquity, Ehrensvärd's drawing is less histrionic in tone.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Exhibition History

References

Title: Sculptor at Work on a Colossal Statue
Artist: Carl August Ehrensvärd (Swedish, 1745–1800)
Former Attribution: Formerly attributed to Johann Tobias Sergel (Swedish, Stockholm 1740–1814 Stockholm)
Date: mid-18th century
Medium: Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, white gouache
Dimensions: 16 7/16 x 10 1/2 in. (41.7 x 26.7 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Jean-Luc Baroni and Colnaghi, in honor of Jacob Bean, 1992
Object Number: 1992.229.1
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

Four Nude Women Surrounded by Putti, Approaching an Altar, Carl August Ehrensvärd Swedish, Pen and gray ink, gray wash — Four Nude Women Surrounded by Putti, Approaching an Altar
Carl August Ehrensvärd
1765–1800

Snaphaunce Hunting Rifle, Jonas Schertiger the Younger Swedish, Steel, wood (walnut), brass, horn, Swedish, Stockholm — Snaphaunce Hunting Rifle
Stock maker Signed by Jonas Schertiger the Younger
dated 1722

Jupiter and Juno: Study for the "Furti di Giove" Tapestries, Perino del Vaga (Pietro Buonaccorsi) Italian, Pen and dark brown ink, brush and brown and gray wash, highlighted with white gouache — Jupiter and Juno: Study for the "Furti di Giove" Tapestries
Perino del Vaga (Pietro Buonaccorsi)
ca. 1532–35

A Storm at Sea with a Large Ship and a Small Boat with Two Figures, Carl August Ehrensvärd Swedish, Pen and black ink — A Storm at Sea with a Large Ship and a Small Boat with Two Figures
Carl August Ehrensvärd
1765–1800

Nyckelharpa, Wood, various materials, Swedish — Nyckelharpa
Swedish
late 18th century

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