Branch of ivy (recto); Study of an urn for "Damocles" (verso)

ca. 1866

Not on view

This still-life of a branch of ivy demonstrates Couture’s characteristic draftsmanship with its emphasis on contour. Couture was an influential teacher whose drawing manner was adopted by many of his students, including Edouard Manet. The motif of the urn on the verso of this sheet connects it with the painting "Damocles" of 1866, thereby giving an approximate date to the drawing.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Title: Branch of ivy (recto); Study of an urn for "Damocles" (verso)
Artist: Thomas Couture (French, Senlis 1815–1879 Villiers-le-Bel)
Date: ca. 1866
Medium: Black fabricated chalk and white chalk
Dimensions: Sheet: 12 5/8 × 19 1/4 in. (32.1 × 48.9 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Jill Newhouse Gallery and Didier Aaron Inc., 2026
Object Number: 2026.435a, b
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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From the same time and place

Soap Bubbles, Thomas Couture French, Oil on canvas — Soap Bubbles
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Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French — Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century

Cottage near the Entrance to a Wood, Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) Dutch, Pen and inks ranging from light to dark brown, brown washes, corrected in white (oxidized, partially abraded), and touches of red chalk (in added structures to the left of the main cottage). — Cottage near the Entrance to a Wood
Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn)
1644

Lawyer on His Way to Court (Se Rendant à l'Audience), Thomas Couture French, Black chalk — Lawyer on His Way to Court (Se Rendant à l'Audience)
Thomas Couture
ca. 1860

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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