Study of a female figure

Executed in pencil, Redgrave enhanced the drawing with layers of black chalk for deeper shadows, while red and white chalk were applied to model highlights and surface texture. The use of colored chalks adds tonal variation, emphasizing the play of light across the forms.

Created during Redgrave’s active period in the nineteenth century, the study was part of his routine practice of making preparatory sketches. Redgrave later became the inaugural curator of the South Kensington Museum, now known as the Victoria and Albert Museum, where the drawing is presently held.

Redgrave’s career combined painting with extensive work in museum administration and art education. This drawing exemplifies his method of working out figure studies before committing to larger compositions, a common practice among academic artists of the era.