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Designs for a Monument to Sir William Jones (?) [recto and verso]

John Flaxman

1797

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism 18th Century Interior

Dominant colour

Designs for a Monument to Sir William Jones (?) [recto and verso] is a 1797 ink by John Flaxman, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: John Flaxman
When & what style?: 1797 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This sketch shows two rough drawings on a light paper. The top one has a group of figures in a dim, crowded space—some standing, some kneeling, all tangled together. The bottom one looks like a simpler scene with two people facing each other, maybe in a doorway. The lines are quick and uneven, like notes jotted down fast. This was likely practice for a bigger project, not a finished piece. Next, check out cross-hatching to see how artists build shading with layers of lines.