Study for 'Cadmus and Harmonia'

Name: EVELYN DE MORGAN (BRITISH, 1855-1919)
Brand: Study for 'Cadmus and Harmonia'
Price: 2600.00 GBP
Availability: SoldOut

Price Realised GBP 3,276

Estimate

GBP 3,000 - GBP 5,000

Closed: 15 Jul 2022

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EVELYN DE MORGAN (BRITISH, 1855-1919)

Study for 'Cadmus and Harmonia'

Price Realised GBP 3,276

Closed: 15 Jul 2022

Price Realised GBP 3,276

Closed: 15 Jul 2022

Details Lot Essay Related Articles More from

EVELYN DE MORGAN (BRITISH, 1855-1919)
Study for 'Cadmus and Harmonia'
pencil and black chalk on buff paper, unframed
11¹⁄₄ x 6³⁄₄ in. (28.6 x 17.2 cm.)

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Lot Essay

The present drawing is an initial sketch for De Morgan's 1877 painting (The De Morgan Foundation). Taken from Ovid's (Book IV 563-603), it tells the story of Cadmus, changed into a serpent by Mars, and his wife Harmonia who begs for the same fate. De Morgan depicts Harmonia as a striking young beauty rather than the elderly woman of Ovid's writing. The figure of Harmonia, embraced by her husband in snake form, recalls the central figure in Botticelli's (Uffizi Gallery, Florence). The present drawing, with its slight variations from the painting, and its unrealised face, appears to be a very early preparatory sketch for the composition.