Study of an Artist in His Studio, circa 1874–77, pen and black ink, brown wash, Gift of Henry M. Marx in memory of Agnes Mosler Marx, 1976.582

Verbal Description

Hello, my name is William Kendrick. I am a Gallery Attendant at the museum. I will be reading the verbal description for Study of an Artist in His Studio, which appears in Henry Mosler Behind the Scenes: In Celebration of the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial.

From circa 1874 to 1877, Study of an Artist in His Studio is in pen and black ink with a brown wash. It was a gift of Henry M. Marx in memory of Agnes Mosler Marx. The work’s accession number is 1976.582

Study of an Artist in His Studio is portrait-oriented and measures 6 and 15/16 inches by 6 and 3/16 inches. In the center foreground of this picture, we see a man leaning back in his chair, his legs outstretched in front of him. His right arm is bent, and he holds a paintbrush in that hand. In his left hand, positioned near his waist, he holds a palette and several additional brushes. He has curly hair and a beard and appears to be looking at the painting on the easel to the right of the drawing. In the background, we see his model, dressed in what appears to be an Elizabethan costume with her right arm outstretched and left arm raised and bent to hold her head. She stands in front of a high-backed armchair.

Label Text

Hello, my name is William Kendrick. I am a Gallery Attendant at the museum. I will be reading the label for Study of an Artist in His Studio, which appears in Henry Mosler Behind the Scenes: In Celebration of the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial.

From circa 1874 to 1877, Study of an Artist in His Studio is in pen and black ink with a brown wash. It was a gift of Henry M. Marx in memory of Agnes Mosler Marx. The work’s accession number is 1976.582

The artist depicted in both this confident pencil drawing and lively ink-wash composition bears a resemblance to Mosler himself. The ink sketch suggests Mosler’s self-deprecating and satirical sense of humor. The artist rocks back precariously on two legs of his chair to get some distance from the canvas before him, while the costumed model emotes theatrically.

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