Artwork
Egyptian Family (Sketch for "The Battle of the Pyramids")
Egyptian Family (Sketch for "The Battle of the Pyramids") is an unspecified painting by the French Romanticist artist Antoine-Jean Gros. It dates from 1835 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Antoine‑Jean Gros painted this oil sketch in 1835 as a preparatory study for his larger composition “The Battle of the Pyramids.
About this work
History & Provenance
Created in 1835 by Antoine-Jean Gros, the work has been part of the museum's holdings since at least the time of its cataloging under this inventory number.
Egyptian Family (Sketch for "The Battle of the Pyramids") was created by Antoine-Jean Gros in 1835, the final year of the artist's life. The work is classified as a history painting and was produced in France.
The painting is now part of the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is recorded under the accession number 1972.17.2. The sketch's dimensions are 353.1 cm in height by 132.1 cm in width.
The sources do not provide further information about the original commission, the chain of ownership prior to the Cleveland Museum of Art, or the circumstances of its acquisition.
The sketch Egyptian Family (Study for The Battle of the Pyramids) is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland, Ohio. The museum assigns it the accession number 1972.17.2. Created in 1835 by Antoine-Jean Gros, the work has been part of the museum's holdings since at least the time of its cataloging under this inventory number.
Overview
Antoine‑Jean Gros painted this oil sketch in 1835 as a preparatory study for his larger composition “The Battle of the Pyramids.” Executed during the height of French Romanticism, the work captures a quiet domestic tableau set against a barren, rocky landscape that alludes to the Egyptian campaign of Napoleon.
Subject & Meaning
The scene presents four figures, a bearded man in a white turban holding a weary child, a woman leaning on his shoulder, and a second child seated on the ground. Their gestures and gazes suggest a moment of familial concern amid the harsh desert, offering a humanizing counterpoint to the grand military narrative of the campaign.
Technique & Style
Gros employs a restrained palette of muted earth tones for the rocks and garments, while using chiaroscuro to bring the faces and hands into sharp relief. The contrast of light and shadow isolates the figures from the background, emphasizing their emotional presence within an otherwise austere setting.
Artist & collection
Artist
Antoine-Jean Gros (French pronunciation:; 16 March 1771 – 25 June 1835) was a French painter of historical subjects.
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