Pierre-Paul Prud'hon
1758-1823
The Park at Malmaison
ca. 1819
13 1/16 x 10 9/16 inches (332 x 268 mm)
Black and white chalk on blue laid paper.
1997.86
Thaw Collection.
Notes
Watermark: none.
Landscape studies are quite rare in Prud'hon's oeuvre. In depicting the site devoid of human figures, the artist focused his attention on the careful rendering of the effects of light and shade. The setting has been identified as a view of the park of Malmaison, the site of Empress Josephine Bonaparte's residence, about nine miles west of the center of Paris. Prud'hon was the empress's drawing teacher, and in a painting of 1809, now in the Louvre, the artist had portrayed her sitting outdoors in a clearing under the trees at Malmaison. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection"
Landscape studies are quite rare in Prud'hon's oeuvre. In depicting the site devoid of human figures, the artist focused his attention on the careful rendering of the effects of light and shade. The setting has been identified as a view of the park of Malmaison, the site of Empress Josephine Bonaparte's residence, about nine miles west of the center of Paris. Prud'hon was the empress's drawing teacher, and in a painting of 1809, now in the Louvre, the artist had portrayed her sitting outdoors in a clearing under the trees at Malmaison. -- Exhibition Label, from "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection"
Associated names
Boisfremont, Charles Boulanger de, former owner.
Power, Mme, (née Boisfremont), former owner.
Clary, Baron de, former owner.
Tournelle, Baron de la, former owner.
David-Weill, David, 1871-1952, former owner.
Davis, Richard S., 1917-1985, former owner.
Thaw, Eugene Victor, former owner.
Thaw, Clare, former owner.
Power, Mme, (née Boisfremont), former owner.
Clary, Baron de, former owner.
Tournelle, Baron de la, former owner.
David-Weill, David, 1871-1952, former owner.
Davis, Richard S., 1917-1985, former owner.
Thaw, Eugene Victor, former owner.
Thaw, Clare, former owner.
Bibliography
The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY, "Drawn to Greatness: Master Drawings from the Thaw Collection", 2017. Exh. cat., no. 305, repr.
Denison, Cara D. et al. The Thaw Collection : Master Drawings and New Acquisitions. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1994, no. 31.
Denison, Cara D. French Master Drawings in the Pierpont Morgan Library. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1993, no. 93, repr. in color.
Denison, Cara D. et al. From Mantegna to Picasso : Drawings from the Thaw Collection at the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. London : Royal Academy of Arts ; New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1996, no. 29, repr. in color.
Denison, Cara D. et al. The Thaw Collection : Master Drawings and New Acquisitions. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1994, no. 31.
Denison, Cara D. French Master Drawings in the Pierpont Morgan Library. New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1993, no. 93, repr. in color.
Denison, Cara D. et al. From Mantegna to Picasso : Drawings from the Thaw Collection at the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. London : Royal Academy of Arts ; New York : Pierpont Morgan Library, 1996, no. 29, repr. in color.
Artist
Classification
Century Drawings
School
Catalog link
Department