Study for 'The Destruction of Niobe's Children'

A study for an unexecuted painting of the subject. There are two, larger, related studies in the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, and a further study in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, which date from the mid to late 1770s.

There is a sketchbook from 1783, 'An Album of Sketches and Notes...studies... for such compositions as Shakespeare between Comedy and Tragedy...and Niobe') sold at Christie's, London, February 1966, lot 24 which contained a drawing entitled 'Niobe'. This is possibly the present drawing, as the size of the sheet corresponds.

We are grateful to Alex Kidson for his help in cataloguing this drawing.