Artwork
Study of a Hand Holding a Cup
Study of a Hand Holding a Cup is an oil painting by the Realist artist Michael Mulready. It dates from 1852 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Michael Mulready’s 1852 oil painting, titled Study of a Hand Holding a Cup, is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum’s collection. The work isolates a single hand that clasps a white cup, set against a muted landscape that recedes into a sky. By concentrating on this everyday gesture, the composition invites quiet observation of a moment often overlooked.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is the hand, rendered with careful attention to its anatomy and the delicate curvature of the fingers as they support the cup. The white vessel, lifted toward the open air, suggests a pause in routine activity, perhaps a brief act of drinking or offering, and encourages contemplation of ordinary rituals.
Technique & Style
Mulready employs chiaroscuro to model the hand and cup, creating a subtle contrast between illuminated surfaces and deeper shadows. The gradations of light give the skin a tactile quality, while the reflective sheen of the cup is hinted through soft highlights. The background is rendered in loose, atmospheric tones that recede, allowing the foreground to dominate the visual field.
History & Provenance
Executed in the mid‑nineteenth century, the painting entered the Victoria and Albert Museum’s holdings at an unspecified date, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s representation of British oil painting. Its provenance prior to acquisition is not widely documented, reflecting the modest status of studies intended for practice rather than public exhibition.
Artist & collection
![Study of a Right Hand [recto], by Benjamin Haydon](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/benjamin-haydon--study-of-a-right-hand-recto--88b544f65d3eb1a7-w320.webp)
