England, 19th century / c. 1895–96
The Toilet, from The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs The Toilet, from The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope as drawing (England, 19th century · c. 1895–96).
After a rapid rise to fame and notoriety, Aubrey Beardsley produced hundreds of drawings before falling victim to tuberculosis at the age of 25.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this drawing as pen and black ink with traces of graphite underdrawing and credits Aubrey Beardsley (British, 1872–1898).
The museum's collection notes: In this drawing, Aubrey Beardsley illustrates an early scene in Alexander Pope’s satirical masterpiece The Rape of the Lock (1712) in which the heroine, Belinda, primps in her boudoir. Reflecting the poem’s emphasis on contrived rather than natural beauty, the drawing is densely layered with artifice. A view of an idyllic garden with a cupola-topped pavilion is glimpsed not through a window as it would first seem, but on a folding screen. The bejeweled bottles littering the table serve as emblems of Belinda’s vanity.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtThe Toilet, from The Rape of the Lock by Alexander PopeOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.