Object Details
Artist
Thomas Rowlandson
Medium
Pen, ink, and wash
Dimensions
Image: 4 7/8 × 5 7/8 inches (12.4 × 15 cm)
Frame: 12 1/2 × 13 1/8 inches (31.8 × 33.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Margaret and Frank Robinson
Object
Number
2017.065
In this lighthearted little work, the goose would indeed win a beauty contest between the two figure(…)
In this lighthearted little work, the goose would indeed win a beauty contest between the two figures. Though sometimes subtle, Rowlandson could be searingly direct. This parody of the goose—a breed often associated with traits of laziness and silliness—set next to a woman with the same profile is meant to cause an instant recognition in the viewer that woman is an equally silly and lazy person. Rowlandson’s genius is to be able to do this straightforwardly but exquisitely, with just the right amount of line and color. (“Drawing the Line: 150 Years of European Artists on Paper,” curated by Nancy E. Green and presented at the Johnson Museum January 20–June 10, 2018)
