Ernest Chassériau (?)

Théodore Chassériau

1851 · Conté crayon, with touches of white chalk, on wove paper · Drawings and Prints

The sitter is thought to be the artist’s brother, Ernest, an infantry officer in the French navy, who died during the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). Chassériau’s crayon seems to have virtually danced across the sheet, as it marked the contours and creases of Ernest’s jacket, waistcoat, and tie. The sitter’s penetrating gaze and refined features are treated with a tenderness befitting a beloved brother.

Artist

Théodore Chassériau

Date

1851

Medium

Conté crayon, with touches of white chalk, on wove paper

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, 2008