Study of two draped female figures by Frederic, Lord Leighton, PRA RWS 1830-1896

Study of two draped female figures

Frederic, Lord Leighton, PRA RWS 1830-1896

Black and white chalks on brown paper

10 7/8 x 8 1/2 inches, 27.6 x 21.6 cm

In this study for the the decorative frieze The Dance, the girl in the foreground is seen sideways on with her arms extended, the girl behind seen facing the spectator. The Dance was commissioned by Stewart Hodgson to decorate the drawing-room of his London house, 1 South Audley Street, Mayfair. The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1883, number 158. The present drawing corresponds exactly with the group of two figures at the extreme left-hand of the composition. In the finished painting the girl with the outstretched arms is seen with a pair of cymbals and the taller girl behind holds a tambourine. Leighton's frieze is today in the collection at Leighton House, with its companion Music. — Hilary Morgan

References

Morgan, Hilary, and Peter Nahum. Burne-Jones, the Pre-Raphaelites, and Their Century. London: Peter Nahum, 1989. Catalogue number 105.

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Last modified 2001