A humorous caricature of composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy seated at a table holding a quill.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

This black ink drawing is a humorous caricature of the German composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, who is drawn with an oversized forehead and bowtie. Facing the viewer, he sits in an elaborate upholstered armchair at the edge of a small table, and holds a long quill in his left hand. Behind him is a mantlepiece, and the composer’s name is written the upper right corner.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.630
People
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, British (Brighton, England 1872 - 1898 Menton, France)
Title
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
1896
Culture
British
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/297812

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Black ink and graphite on white wove paper
Dimensions
16.3 x 10.3 cm (6 7/16 x 4 1/16 in.)

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

Standard Reference Number
Zatlin 1027

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.630
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Joseph Pennell, Catalogue of an Exhibition of Original Drawings by Aubrey Beardsley, exh. cat., Brooklyn Museum (Brooklyn, NY, 1923), no. 88
  • Linda Gertner Zatlin, Aubrey Beardsley: A Catalogue Raisonné, Yale University Press (U.S.) (New Haven and London, 2016), vol. 2, no. 1027, p. 300, repr. p. 299

Exhibition History

  • An Exhibition of Original Drawings by Aubrey Beardsley, Brooklyn Museum, 12/19/1923 - 01/31/1924; Milwaukee Art Institute, 10/01/1924 - 10/30/1924; Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, 11/01/1924 - 11/30/1924; Memorial Art Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, 11/29/1924 - 12/31/1924

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu