ticketsMember | Make a donation

Studies of fairies with a pair of hands (possibly representing the Opening of Pandora's Box)

1784
Not on view
The son of a prominent art collector, Lock studied with William Gilpin and became a favorite of Henry Fuseli who described the youth's drawings as "unrivaled by any man of this day...for invention, taste and spirit." Despite such encouragement, Lock largely gave up artistic practice while still in his twenties. This sheet of sketches centers on an open casket containing female figures and winged creatures whose classical drapery and idealized bodies recall Fuseli’s depictions of Ariel from Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," and Gloriana from Spenser's "Faerie Queene." Other forms, such as the thin-winged creature at the far left, anticipate the fanciful fairies created by Victorian artists.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Studies of fairies with a pair of hands (possibly representing the Opening of Pandora's Box)
  • Artist: William Lock the Younger (British, 1767–1847)
  • Date: 1784
  • Medium: Graphite and red chalk, pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, and white gouache (bodycolor)
  • Dimensions: sheet: 14 15/16 x 21 3/4 in. (38 x 55.3 cm), irreg.
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, 2004
  • Object Number: 2004.264
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland, Thomas Girtin British, Watercolor and bodycolor (gouache)
Lindisfarne Castle, Holy Island, Northumberland
Thomas Girtin
1796–97
Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints, Gideon Saint British, Pen and ink, engraving and etching
Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760
The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons, Jacques Louis David French, Black chalk, pen and black and brown ink, brush and gray and brown wash, heightened with white gouache
The Lictors Bringing Brutus the Bodies of his Sons
Jacques Louis David
1787
Dune Landscape with Oak Tree, Jacob van Ruisdael Dutch, Black chalk, brush and gray wash, and gouache; framing lines in pen and brown ink
Dune Landscape with Oak Tree
Jacob van Ruisdael
1650–55
Portrait of Emma Hamilton, Angelica Kauffmann Swiss, Black and white chalk, on gray prepared paper
Portrait of Emma Hamilton
Angelica Kauffmann
Lady Emma Hamilton
1791

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.