A large letter M interposed among a nude woman and cherub, flanked by two fertility goddess statues.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

In this graphite drawing with ink outlines, a large letter M is interposed among a nude woman and cherub who are about to embrace one another. The woman is seated, and the cherub standing, upon a sumptuous cushion with a sheet and pillows. On either side of them is a statue of a fertility goddess, each with six breasts, no arms, and a column standing in for the neck.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.638
People
Aubrey Vincent Beardsley, British (Brighton, England 1872 - 1898 Menton, France)
Title
Initial Letter M (Fertility); verso: Sketch of a Candelabra
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: Volpone
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
1897-1898
Culture
British
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/297883

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Black ink and graphite on white paper; verso: graphite and black ink
Dimensions
17.9 x 15.6 cm (7 1/16 x 6 1/8 in.)

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

Standard Reference Number
Zatlin 1084

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.638
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

THIS WORK MAY NOT BE LENT BY THE TERMS OF ITS ACQUISITION TO THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS.

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Publication History

  • Linda Gertner Zatlin, Aubrey Beardsley and Victorian Sexual Politics, The Clarendon Press (Oxford, England, 1990), p. 113, fig. 68
  • Penley Knipe and Miriam Stewart, "Behind the 'Blot'" Technical Notes on the Drawings of Aubrey Beardsley, Master Drawings (Winter 2015), LIII, no. 4, pp. 523-530, pp. 523-524, repr. p. 525 as fig. 3 (verso)
  • Linda Gertner Zatlin, Aubrey Beardsley: A Catalogue Raisonné, Yale University Press (U.S.) (New Haven and London, 2016), vol. 2, no. 1084r, pp. 404-406, repr. p. 405 (recto); no. 1084v, p. 406, repr. p. 405 (verso)

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 3440 Middle East, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/15/2023 - 09/21/2023

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