Self-portrait (?) with Sketch of D. G. Rossetti
Maker
James Smetham
(British, 1821-1889)
ClassificationsDRAWINGS
Daten.d.
Mediumpencil
Dimensions11 1/4 × 7 7/8 in. (28.6 × 20 cm.)
mat: 19 × 12 1/2 in. (48.3 × 31.8 cm.)
Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens
Label TextThis haunting self-portrait captures both outward appearance and inner psyche. The artist pictures himself in a simple smock that recalls the robes of a monastic order. The recessed, staring eyes do not focus on any exterior object, but instead appear to witness an interior vision. Smetham was an intense, deeply religious man. Following a mental and physical collapse in 1877 he was committed to an asylum. The profile sketch of a man in the upper right corner of this drawing probably represents Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a friend and supporter of the artist.Status
Not on viewObject number67.35D
Terms
Exhibitions
