Raising of Lazarus (from Sketchbook)

Thomas Sully

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In 1809, the prolific Sully traveled to London and entered the teaching studio of Benjamin West (1738–1820), who also introduced him to other significant artists, including Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769–1830). In London, Sully developed his enthusiasm for drawing, using it to make preparatory studies for his portraits, record ideas, and copy works by other artists. This sheet belongs to a sketchbook that Sully used after his return to the United States. His many copies after prints by European masters suggest that he was determined to continue his artistic training on his own. Here, the main figures were made after reproductions of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling: Adam from the Creation of Adam (above) and sleeping Adam from the Creation of Eve.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art