Study of Michelangelo’s “Dying Slave” (Plaster Cast)
Courtesy of the owner
Vital Statistics
Charcoal on paper, Irregular dimensionsUnsigned, but inscribed on margin: “Please try to write your signature more clearly.”
Private Collection
Commentary
This sketch was likely done while Trego was at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts which, then as now, included a copy of Michelangelo’s “Dying Slave” in its collection of plaster casts. The handwriting in the margin has not been identified, but it would seem that one of the instructors at the academy felt that Trego’s control of line did not apply to his handwriting.Provenance
The sketch is one of several rescued by Walter E. Baum from Trego’s studio after his death. It passed to Baum’s son, Robert “Bert” Baum, and from him to the current owner.Exhibitions
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, James A. Michener Art Museum, June 3-Oct 2, 2011: "So Bravely and So Well: The Life and Art of William T. Trego."Condition
The paper is discolored and brittle, and several pieces are missing on the right-hand side. It is possible than any signature was on a section now lost.< Nude Male Statue, 1880 Two Male Lower Legs and Feet, c. 1880 >