Study of the Apollo Belvedere

Details

Benjamin West, P.R.A. (1738-1820)
Study of the Apollo Belvedere
indistinctly signed and dated (lower left), and numbered '9' (on the reverse, lower left) and 'A9' (on the reverse, lower right)
black chalk on blue-grey paper, unframed
18¼ x 17¼ in. (46.4 x 43.8 cm.)

Provenance

The artist's family, and by descent to
Mrs P. Howard; Sotheby's, London, 22 March 1979, part of lot 32, where purchased by the present owner.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 15% on the buyer's premium

Lot Essay

West first saw the Apollo Belvedere on 11 July 1760, shortly after arriving in Rome and famously exclaimed, 'My God! How like it is to a young Mohawk warrior!' The present drawing was not, however, executed at the time of this first exposure. The blue paper and black chalk suggest that instead it dates from the early 1780s, when West adopted these materials for his life studies (see lot 31).

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