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Etty, William
Study for the Three Graces Étude pour Les trois Grâces
1834¿1835 v. 1834

William Etty’s sketch of three women is strikingly similar to a group of the Three Graces in his Toilet of Venus (1835, Puerto Rico, Museo de Arte de Ponce). This suggests that he had already worked out the composition and created this life study to work through the colouristic details. A slightly larger sketch in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York is more heavily worked up, suggesting a subsequent refining of the balance between light and shade that is broadly explored here.

Etty, William
York, England 1787-York, England 1849 York, England 1787-York, England 1849
Study for the Three Graces Étude pour Les trois Grâces
1834¿1835 v. 1834
Oil on canvas Huile sur toile
height / width: 50.80 x 40.60 cm; 20.00 x 15.98 in.
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Alfred Bader, 1969 Don de Dr et Mme Alfred Bader, 1969
12-062

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