"Portrait of Arthur Schopenhauer," 1847, by Lord Frederic Leighton (1830-1896)

Portrait of Arthur Schopenhauer

Lord Frederic Leighton (1830-1896)

1847

Graphite and gouache on paper, mounted to cardboard support, window

110 x 80 mm (4 5/16 x 3 1/8 inches)

Inscribed below: "Arthur Schopenhauer"

Provenance: probably given by the artist to Lady William Russell (1793−1874), and then found amongst her belongings by her son Lord Arthur Russell (1825−1892). Bought as Lot 151 at Bloomsbury Auctions, 23rd October 2008. The lot also included a letter from Leighton to Lord Arthur concerning the drawing. This is the only known full-length study of Schopenhauer done from life.

See commentary below.

[Click on image to enlarge it.]

You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the Crowther-Oblak Collection of Victorian Art and and the National Gallery of Slovenia and the Moore Institute, National University of Ireland, Galway (2) and link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.

Commentary by Paul Crowther

Lord Arthur appears, at some point, to have sent the sketch to Leighton asking if it was one of his works. Leighton confirmed that it was. Having made some attempts to restore the work, he returned it to Russell with the following letter (on Athenaeum Club paper) dated "25 Jan.y.1881." It reads: "Dear Arthur, the sketch which this note accompanies, and which is really very like Schopenhauer as I have so often seen him trudging along twirling his glass on its broad black band and muttering vor sich[t], must have been drawn somewhere about the summer of 1847—I being 17 at the time. Ever yours, Fred Leighton."

Bibliography

Crowther, Paul. Awakening Beauty: The Crowther-Oblak Collection of Victorian Art. Exhibition catalogue. Ljubljana: National Gallery of Slovenia; Galway: Moore Institute, National University of Ireland, 2014. No. 68.

Crowther, Paul, and Miruna Cuzman. "A Rediscovered Contemporary Full-Length Sketch-Portrait of Schopenhauer by Frederic, Lord Leighton." Schopenhauer Jahrbuch, 92 Band, Konigshausen und Neumann, 2011: 301–306.

Crowther-Oblak
Collection

Last modified 14 December 2014