David Wilkie (1785–1841)
Study of Two Figures (for The Burial of the Scottish Regalia), ca. 1832
Black, red and brown chalk with touches of blue, pink, peach and white gouache on brown wove paper
14 3/8 x 18 3/8 in. (36.6 x 46.7 cm)
Bequest of Charles A. Ryskamp, 2010
Photo Michael Bodycomb
In this study for an unrealized painting, Wilkie—best known for his history subjects—dramatizes the 1652 burial of Scottish royal treasure for safeguarding from Oliver Cromwell's forces. The unfinished state of the drawing heightens the visibility of Wilkie's rapid yet highly descriptive use of line, shadow, and highlight, while also augmenting the suspense of the narrative, which ends at a pregnant moment beside the void of the sheet at left.