Miss Maud Gonne
Artist
Sarah Henrietta Purser
(1848 - 1943)
Date1898
MediumPastel on paper
Dimensions43 x 27 cm
ClassificationsPastels
Credit LineCollection & image © Hugh Lane Gallery.
Donated by the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland, 1944.
Object number927
DescriptionMaud Gonne fractured her arm in June 1898 and began her convalescence while staying with Sarah Purser. This pastel conveys the compelling beauty and strong charachter of Maud Gonne more so than the large oil painting. Purser’s facility with pastel is clear and this work has a sense of freshness and spontaneity. No doubt inspired by the pastel sketches of Degas, whom Purser met in Paris, there is an exploratory and searching quality about this work. The strong mouth and firm jaw line indicate a sense of determination which contrasts with the more sketchy treatment of her hair and headdress. One senses the true beauty of Maud Gonne that so captivated W B Yeats. Until 1974 this work was on a single sheet of paper with another drawing (reg no. 927.01) a preparatory work in creating the pastel.On View
On view
