Artwork
An Urn and Two Quivers
An Urn and Two Quivers is an ink drawing by the Neoclassicist artist Jacques-Louis David. It dates from 1778 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1778, Jacques‑Louis David’s drawing titled An Urn and Two Quivers presents a modest still‑life composed of three classical objects rendered on a beige sheet of laid paper. The composition places a sizeable, two‑handled urn on the left, while two arrow‑holding quivers occupy the central and right positions, each topped with a plume of feathers.
Subject & Meaning
The work isolates objects associated with antiquity and the hunt, inviting contemplation of their symbolic resonance. The urn, a vessel for storage or ritual, contrasts with the quivers, tools of martial activity, suggesting a dialogue between domesticity and warfare that reflects Enlightenment interest in classical themes.
Technique & Style
David employed black ink combined with a brown wash to achieve a warm, muted tonal range. Delicate hatching and cross‑hatching build surface texture and convey volume, while the wash adds subtle shading that unifies the three items against the paper’s natural hue.
History & Provenance
The drawing dates from the early phase of David’s career, preceding his rise as a leading Neoclassical painter. It remains a testament to his preparatory studies of classical motifs, though details of its ownership history prior to museum acquisition are not extensively documented.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacques-Louis David was born in Paris on 30 August 1748 into a bourgeois family; his father died in a duel when the boy was nine, and a maternal uncle guided his education.
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