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Curatorial Overview
“The leading landscape painter of the late 18th century, Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes was also an important theoretician whose book Elements of Practical Perspective influenced generations of French artists who followed. In the book, the artist described two ways of envisioning nature: "seeing it as it is," and "seeing it as it could be." He preferred the latter, believing that it demanded more of the imagination than merely copying the natural world. The perfection of the setting in this drawing reflects the noble, classical subject: three maidens cutting their hair and offering it on an altar to a river god.”
Mediumblack gouache and brush and gray wash, over black chalk and graphite, heightened with white gouache
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OriginFrance, 18th century
InstitutionThe Cleveland Museum of Art
Accession No.1980.91
Credit LinePurchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Curatorial Affinity Stream
Continuing the Universe of Pierre Henri de Valenciennes (French, 1750–1819)
Drawings • France, 18th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries
Continuous Discovery