Seated Man and Woman

c. 1830–60

Seated Man and Woman, c. 1830–60. Célestin François Nanteuil (French, 1813–1873). Pen and brown ink, watercolor and scoring (recto), pen and brown ink (verso) on medium weight wove paper; sheet: 25.8 x 19.8 cm (10 3/16 x 7 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2018.1064 This drawing shows Célestin Nanteuil’s accomplishments as both a fine artist and illustrator. On one side, a couple converses, depicted in dense areas of ink—a practice Nanteuil learned from his friend, the author and artist Victor Hugo. Nanteuil scratched into these dark areas to create highlights. The back of the sheet features casually sketched vignettes, probably designed to accompany text in a book. Nanteuil was close friends with the writer and artist Victor Hugo, who influenced his work.