Sculptor at Work on a Colossal Statue
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.
Credit: Gift of Jean-Luc Baroni and Colnaghi, in honor of Jacob Bean, 1992
Mid-18th-18th century
Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, white gouache, on gray paper.
41.7 x 26.7cm
1992.229.1
Image and text © Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2019
Where you'll find this
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Permanent collection