Artwork
Study for the woman near the doorway in <i>Cinderella About to Try on the Glass Slipper</i> (1842)

Study for the woman near the doorway in <i>Cinderella About to Try on the Glass Slipper</i> (1842) is a drawing by the Romanticist artist Richard CB, RA, ARA Redgrave. It dates from 1842 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This drawing is a preparatory study for a figure in Richard Redgrave's 1842 painting, Cinderella About to Try on the Glass Slipper.
About this work
He later became the first curator at the South Kensington Museum, which is now the V&A.
This is a pencil and chalk drawing from 1842. It shows a woman looking at her foot. The artist, Redgrave, used black and red chalk for shadows and white chalk for light.
It’s a quick study for a bigger painting. Redgrave often made these before his paintings. He later became the first curator at the South Kensington Museum, which is now the V&A.
Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum for more work by Redgrave.
Overview
This drawing is a preparatory study for a figure in Richard Redgrave's 1842 painting, Cinderella About to Try on the Glass Slipper. Created in pencil and chalk, it depicts a woman examining her foot.
Technique & Style
Redgrave employed a range of media to achieve a nuanced representation, using black and red chalk to deepen shadows and white chalk to accentuate highlights.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing focuses on a single figure, a woman near a doorway, lost in contemplation of her foot, a detail that would later be incorporated into the larger narrative of the painting.
History & Provenance
Redgrave, a notable artist of his time, created this study as part of his process for the 1842 painting. He later held a significant role as the first curator of the South Kensington Museum, now the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Richard Redgrave painted quiet English woods, cottages, and manor halls in watercolour and oil.
















