George Frederic Watts RA, Figures studies of a male nude, possibly for 'Orpheus and Eurydice'.
Black chalk on brown wove paper. 525 mm x 341 mm. © Photo: Royal Academy of Arts, London. Photographer: Prudence Cuming Associates Limited.
This image is not available to download. To licence this image for commercial purposes, contact our Picture Library at picturelibrary@royalacademy.org.uk
Figures studies of a male nude, possibly for 'Orpheus and Eurydice'
George Frederic Watts RA (1817 - 1904)
RA Collection: Art
A sheet of six figure studies of a male nude in black chalk. At the top of the sheet are two studies of a figure in a reclining pose, with a standing figure on the bottom left and three further details of the torso and legs.
The two reclining figures resemble the pose of Orpheus in one of Watts's versions of 'Orpheus and Eurydice' (1869-77, various versions including one at the Watts Gallery) and it is possible that these drawings are an early idea for the composition.
Object details
525 mm x 341 mm
Start exploring the RA Collection
- Explore art works, paint-smeared palettes, scribbled letters and more...
- Artists and architects have run the RA for 250 years.
Our Collection is a record of them.
Related articles
-
![RA cast display installation]()
Our Collection
7 months ago
Video: Historic casts are re-installed at the RA Schools
After years in storage, watch as our cast collection is re-installed around the RA Schools.
-
![Richard Cosway RA, Richard and Maria Cosway, and Ottobah Cugoano (detail)]()
Our Collection
1 year ago
Untold Stories
Recent research reveals how the Royal Academy’s founding artists worked amidst Britain’s imperial expansion in the 18th century, the transatlantic slave trade, and a growing abolitionist movement.
-
![Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA,, Self-portrait of Sir Joshua Reynolds, PRA]()
Our Collection
< 2 years ago
Creative inspiration today from the first President of the Royal Academy
The RA’s founding President Joshua Reynolds may have shaken up the art world when he delivered his ‘Discourses’ lectures, but are they still relevant now? We take a closer look at what artists and art-lovers can learn from the series today.
-
![Emma Stibbon RA, Collapsed Whaling Station, Deception Island, Antarctica]()
Our Collection
< 2 years ago
Video: Apocalyptic printmaking and extreme environments with Emma Stibbon RA
Watch Emma Stibbon describes the unforgiving conditions and dramatic landscapes that inspired her display in the Collection Gallery.
