Monday, October 22, 2012

Sir John Everett Millais - The Disentombment of Queen Matilda 1849




Pen and ink drawing. The scene depicts a church interior with rows of kneeling nuns in the left hand side, a stricken looking female Sister nun stands in the centre as the tomb of Queen Matilda is opened up by a group of civilians and soldiers who are carrying out acts of iconoclasm.
The support is a cream, wove, rag, European paper that is in good condition. There is some light discolouration overall, with darker staining down the right hand edge. The media is in good condition. The drawing has been executed with very fine pen lines. Most of the figures are delineated with precise clean lines, with areas of very close cross-hatching to create areas of shadow. The effect is similar to a drypoint/intaglio print. 
Katherine Lockett

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