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The Poor Bench in Saint-Germain-des-près

1867
Not on view
Lhermitte was a leading artist in the revival of the charcoal medium in the second half of the nineteenth century. The visible watermark on the lower left edge of this sheet is that of an art supplier, L. Berville, who especially promoted materials for charcoal drawing. In this early preparatory work related to a more finished drawing, the women seated along the church bench appear increasingly abstracted as they recede along the diagonal into dark shadow. Yet, even in the absence of detail, their hunched postures convey their downtrodden status.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Poor Bench in Saint-Germain-des-près
  • Artist: Léon-Augustin Lhermitte (French, Mont Saint-Père 1844–1925 Paris)
  • Date: 1867
  • Medium: Charcoal
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 10 15/16 × 18 13/16 in. (27.8 × 47.8 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Harvey Salzman, 2020
  • Object Number: 2022.25.9
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
The Grape Harvest, Léon-Augustin Lhermitte French, Oil on canvas
The Grape Harvest
Léon-Augustin Lhermitte
1884
Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French
Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century
The Parade, Si Lewen American, Manufactured charcoal, pencil, crayon, ink, scratching, and hand applied gesso on paperboard
The Parade
Si Lewen
ca. 1950
The Cider Jug, Léon-Augustin Lhermitte French, Charcoal
The Cider Jug
Léon-Augustin Lhermitte
1874
Édouard Manet, Seated, Holding His Hat, Edgar Degas French, Graphite and black chalk
Édouard Manet, Seated, Holding His Hat
Edgar Degas
Sitter Edouard Manet
ca. 1868

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