Hagar Consoled by an Angel (from a painting by Castiglione) and Three Heads of Old Men (from a painting by Ricci of Jesus and the Adultress)
Jean-Claude-Richard, Abbé de Saint-Non
1774
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Jean-Claude-Richard, Abbé de Saint-Non
1774
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This sketch shows a woman sitting on the ground, reaching toward a small child. Above her, two winged figures float in the sky. Below, two old men with big heads and flowing hair are tangled in cloth. The lines are loose and the whole scene looks like it was drawn quickly, with lots of shading. The artist mixed two different stories into one drawing. One part is about a woman helped by an angel, and the other shows old men from a different painting. The loose style and dramatic poses fit a time when artists started to focus more on emotion than strict rules. Next, look up etching to see how this printmaking technique works.
