Head of a man and figure studies (recto). Minotaur with a maiden (verso)

Theodor Richard Edward von Holst British

1835–44

Not on view

Holst, the son of a Latvian music master who settled in London in 1807, studied with Henry Fuseli in the 1820s, and shared his teacher's special interest in fantastic, macabre, and supernatural themes. The precise subject of the present sheet is unknown. Holst delineated the features of a long-haired young man in fine, silvery strokes of graphite, then turned the sheet ninety degrees and sketched a scene of balletic grace: a man in tight-fitting garments lifts a woman in flowing draperies above his head. (Variations of this subject appear on the verso.)

Artwork Details

Title: Head of a man and figure studies (recto). Minotaur with a maiden (verso)
Artist: Theodor Richard Edward von Holst (British, London 1810–1844 London)
Date: 1835–44
Medium: Graphite
Dimensions: Overall: 12 3/16 x 9 5/8 in. (31 x 24.4 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. L. M. Isaacson, 1977
Object Number: 1977.259
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Theodor Richard Edward von Holst

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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A group of five heads with other studies, Theodor Richard Edward von Holst British, Graphite — A group of five heads with other studies
Theodor Richard Edward von Holst
1830–44

Man and apparition, Theodor Richard Edward von Holst British, Graphite — Man and apparition
Theodor Richard Edward von Holst
1830–44

Sleeping man, Theodor Richard Edward von Holst British, Graphite — Sleeping man
Theodor Richard Edward von Holst
1844

Two male heads, Theodor Richard Edward von Holst British, Pen and ink, brush and wash, over graphite — Two male heads
Theodor Richard Edward von Holst
1830–44

Mephistopheles on a horse, Theodor Richard Edward von Holst British, Brush and wash over graphite — Mephistopheles on a horse
Theodor Richard Edward von Holst
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
1827–33

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