Prints and Drawings Room
View by appointment- Artist
- Richard Dalton 1715 or 20–1791
- Medium
- Chalk on paper
- Dimensions
- Support: 529 × 365 mm
- Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Purchased as part of the Oppé Collection with assistance from the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund 1996
- Reference
- T08241
Display caption
This drawing demonstrates the extremely fine line-work which can be achieved with red chalk. The thinness of the lines suggests that Dalton used a natural red chalk, since these tended to be harder than fabricated or synthetic red chalks. Dalton would probably have fastened a stick of red chalk into a holder and kept the point sharp with a knife. The darkest areas within the figure have been made by cross-hatching and drawing closely spaced narrow lines one on top of the other.
Gallery label, August 2004
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