Artwork
Cleopatra's Needle
Cleopatra's Needle is a watercolor work on paper by the American Impressionist artist Frank Crane. It dates from 1895 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The drawing portrays a solitary tree, a motif that conveys natural resilience and quiet contemplation. Crane’s rendering emphasizes the stark lines and delicate shading of the trunk and branches, suggesting both permanence and vulnerability. The work belongs to The American Wing’s landscape genre and was created in 1895 using graphite, watercolor, and gouache on paper.
Technique & Style
Created in 1895 by Frank Crane, this work is executed in graphite, watercolor, and gouache on off-white wove paper.
Created in 1895 by Frank Crane, this work is executed in graphite, watercolor, and gouache on off-white wove paper. The piece measures 37.8 cm in height and 25.4 cm in width. Stylistically classified as a landscape, the composition features a tree as its primary subject.
The combination of dry and wet media on the specific paper support allows for varied textural effects typical of late nineteenth-century American works on paper.
History & Provenance
Cleopatra's Needle, a 1895 landscape by Frank Crane, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified under The American Wing. Executed in graphite, watercolor, and gouache on off-white wove paper, the work measures 37.8 by 25.4 cm.
No exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Frank Crane’s 1895 work, rendered in graphite, watercolor and gouache on off‑white wove paper, records a winter scene in New York’s Central Park. The composition centers on the ancient Egyptian obelisk known as Cleopatra’s Needle, surrounded by leafless trees, a light dusting of snow, and a few bundled pedestrians.
Context
The work belongs to the American Wing’s collection of late‑nineteenth‑century American watercolors, a genre that often documented urban development and public monuments. Its subject aligns with contemporary interests in archaeology, imperial artifacts, and the integration of historic objects into modern civic environments.
Artist & collection
