Study for Penelope

About the Artwork

This drawing depicts the figure of Penelope, featured in a painting by Lemonnier exhibited in the Salon of 1806, The Departure of Ulysses and Penelope for Ithaca (now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen). Essentially a drapery study of the high-waisted dress worn by the figure in the painting, it corresponds to the final work. The artist focused mostly on the play of light and shadow, varying the pressure of the chalk strokes and using a stump to smudge the chalk in order to produce a variety of tonal effects. The idealized face of the figure recalls classical sculpture and reflects the artist's academic training as well as the style of figural representation favored by the artists of Jacques-Louis David's generation.

Inscriptions

verso, by unknown hand, lower right, in graphite: 59

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.

Quick Overview

Artist: Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier (French, 1743–1824)
Date: c. 1806
Medium: black chalk heightened with white chalk, with stumping, squared in graphite
Dimensions: Sheet: 36.8 x 20.7 cm (14 1/2 x 8 1/8 in.)
Type: Drawing
Classification: Drawing
Department: Drawings
Credit line: John L. Severance Fund
Accession no.: 1996.286

Open-access museum record · AT-00011683