A young man leaning on a fence

1785–92

Not on view

Alexander is best known for travelling to China between 1792 and 1794 as part of the official group that accompanied Lord Macartney’s embassy to Peking. This charming study of a young man in the English countryside likely dates before his departure, and resembles works by Julius Caesar Ibbetson, who is believed to have taught Alexander at the Royal Academy Schools which the young artist attended after moving to London from Maidstone in 1782. Once he returned from China in 1794, Alexander focused on illustrating published accounts of the journey, and turned sketches of the orient into finished compositions for Royal Academy exhibitions. In 1808, he became the British Museum’s first keeper of prints and drawings.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

References

Title: A young man leaning on a fence
Artist: William Alexander (British, Maidstone, Kent 1767–1816 Maidstone, Kent)
Date: 1785–92
Medium: Watercolor and graphite
Dimensions: Sheet: 5 1/2 in. × 4 in. (14 × 10.2 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Gift of Andrew Clayton-Payne, 2018
Object Number: 2018.592
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By William Alexander

In the same medium

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

An Officer of the Corps of Bowmen, William Alexander British, Watercolor over graphite — An Officer of the Corps of Bowmen
William Alexander
1797–1805

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

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

Desing for a Foliate Vignette, from the so-called Scrapbook of Gideon Saint, Gideon Saint British — Desing for a Foliate Vignette, from the so-called Scrapbook of Gideon Saint
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760

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.