Portrait of a Cleric

Simeon Solomon

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This portrait of a priest should be seen in the context of earlier works, where Solomon explored Roman Catholic,Orthodox and Jewish religious ceremonies and rituals, using rich colors, somber gestures and liturgical objects to point to invisible divine forces. The sitter's white hair contrasts with youthful features that seem to project an inner light; and the books lining shelves in the background point to a contemplative life. An imprecise inscription at lower left indicates a date of 1897–close to the end of the artist's life. Even as he suffered through rejection, poverty and alcoholism, Solomon continued to make meaningful works, occasionally forced to seek shelter in London's St. Giles's Workhouse.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art