Drawings from anatomy and life

Stage three in the traditional drawing curriculum

Five Studies of Male Nudes, on One Sheet

Five Studies of Male Nudes, on One Sheet, Bartolomeo Passarotti, 16th century. Museum no. Dyce 159

Five Studies of Male Nudes, on One Sheet
Bartolomeo Passarotti (1529-1592)
Italy
16th century
Ink on laid paper
Width 26 cm x height 41.9 cm
Museum no. Dyce 159

The sheet is an example of the artist exploring the musculature of the same model in a variety of poses.
Seven Studies of a Foot

Seven Studies of a Foot, John C.D.Engleheart, 1799. Museum no. E.171-1939

Seven Studies of a Foot
John C.D.Engleheart (1784-1862)
Britain
1799
Ink and black and red chalks on laid paper
Width 48 cm x height 20 cm
Museum no. E.171-1939

These studies made when the artist was 15, are typical of the piecemeal approach towards the human figure that was encouraged by formal art teaching at this time. There are two further studies of legs done by the artist at the same time in the V&A’s collection.
Study of a Seated Male Nude

Study of a Seated Male Nude, John Constable, about 1800. Museum no. 42-1873

Study of a Seated Male Nude
John Constable (1776-1837)
Britain
About 1800
Charcoal heightened with white chalk on brown wove paper
Width 41 cm x height 53 cm
Museum no. 42-1873

Constable attended the Royal Academy Schools in London from 1799 and is likely to have made this drawing there. Although one of Britain's greatest landscape painters he continued to draw from the nude throughout his career.
Half-length Anatomical Study of a Man Drawn from a Dissected Corpse

Half-length Anatomical Study of a Man Drawn from a Dissected Corpse, John Gibson, about 1815. Museum no. D.1306a-1898

Half-length Anatomical Study of a Man Drawn from a Dissected Corpse
John Gibson (1790-1866)
Britain
About 1815
Pencil on wove paper
Width 34 cm x height 24.5 cm
Museum no. D.1306a-1898

Gibson began work as a sculptor without any formal training and then was taken up by the banker and connoisseur, William Roscoe, who encouraged him to copy works by Renaissance artists from his collection and as the artist recalled, to study anatomy ‘from the subject itself. Knowing what an anatomist Michel Angelo was, I was most eager to begin. Dr Vose of Liverpool was giving lectures on anatomy to young surgeons at that time, and he generously admitted me into his school gratis. With his instruction, and close devotion to the dissecting room, I became well versed in the construction of the human body, and could detect at a glance any anatomical error in a work of art’.
Écorché Study of a Horse

Écorché Study of a Horse, John Gibson, about 1815. Museum no. D.1316-1898

Écorché Study of a Horse
John Gibson (1790-1866)
Britain
About 1815
Pencil on wove paper
Width 34 cm x height 24.5 cm
Museum no. D.1316-1898

Gibson began work as a sculptor without any formal training and then was taken up by the banker and connoisseur, William Roscoe, who encouraged him to copy works by Renaissance artists from his collection and as the artist recalled, to study anatomy ‘from the subject itself. Knowing what an anatomist Michel Angelo was, I was most eager to begin. Dr Vose of Liverpool was giving lectures on anatomy to young surgeons at that time, and he generously admitted me into his school gratis. With his instruction, and close devotion to the dissecting room, I became well versed in the construction of the human body, and could detect at a glance any anatomical error in a work of art’. The anatomy of the horse has been second only to that of the human figure in the attention that artists have paid to it.
Studies of a Human Skeleton from an Écorché Cast

Studies of a Human Skeleton from an Écorché Cast, William Edward Frost, second quarter of 19th century. Museum no. E.424-1948

Studies of a Human Skeleton from an Écorché Cast
William Edward Frost (1810-1877)
Britain
Second quarter of 19th century
Pencil and chalk on wove paper
Sheet size, width 36.3 cm x height 52.5 cm
Museum no. E.424-1948

Frost studied at Henry Sass’s School and then at the Royal Academy, both in London. Skeletons and écorché casts showing the musculature of the body such as these were standard props in workshops and art academies from the 17th century. Both drawings were inscribed 'for a Student’s Ticket' and may have been prepared to help his admission to the Academy.
Study of the Muscles of a Male Figure from an Écorché Cast

Study of the Muscles of a Male Figure from an Écorché Cast, William Edward Frost, second quarter of 19th century. Museum no. E.425-1948

Study of the Muscles of a Male Figure from an Écorché Cast
William Edward Frost (1810-1877)
Britain
Second quarter of 19th century
Pencil and chalk on wove paper
Sheet size, width 36.3 cm x height 52.5 cm
Museum no. E.425-1948

Frost studied at Henry Sass’s School and then at the Royal Academy, both in London. Skeletons and écorché casts showing the musculature of the body such as these were standard props in workshops and art academies from the 17th century. Both drawings were inscribed 'for a Student’s Ticket' and may have been prepared to help his admission to the Academy.
Three Studies of a Female Nude on One Sheet

Three Studies of a Female Nude on One Sheet, Henry Tonks, about 1917-30. Museum no. E.357-1937

Three Studies of a Female Nude on One Sheet
Henry Tonks (1862-1937)
Britain
About 1917-30
Black and red chalk on pale blue wove paper
Width 39.4 cm x height 47.9 cm
Museum no. E.357-1937

Tonks was Professor at the Slade, a leading art school in London, from 1917-1930. He encouraged all his students to draw and drew assiduously from the figure himself.