flaxman with a (neo)classic dog

courtesy nga.gov. open access/public domain

John Flaxman (British; 1755-1826) was a leading force behind Neoclassicism, which revisited the themes and styles of ancient Greece and Rome.  His chosen media, sculpture and engraving, lent themselves very well to the clarity of this style.  I'd always found his work interesting for its crisp discipline, but what I didn't know till recently was that he was a kind, modest man held dear by his friends and acquaintances.  This morning's find clinches that.  Though it's only a rough graphite drawing, there is enormous feeling in the interplay between the woman's hand and the dog's bowed head.  I also love the way the draperies and the dog's back become a pleasantly rounded outline that snuggles the two together.