Sculptor at Work on a Colossal Statue

Carl August Ehrensvärd|Johann Tobias Sergel

mid-18th–18th century · Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, white gouache, on gray paper. · Drawings and Prints

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.

Artist

Carl August Ehrensvärd|Johann Tobias Sergel

Date

mid-18th–18th century

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, white gouache, on gray paper.

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of Jean-Luc Baroni and Colnaghi, in honor of Jacob Bean, 1992