Henri Lehmann

This collation of drawings was made in preparation for the murals in the cupola of the chapel at l'Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (Institute for Blind Youth) in Paris, which Lehmann was commissioned to decorate on 9 May 1843. Lehmann had returned the previous year from Rome, where he worked with Ingres and became acquainted with the Nazarenes. Bearing the stamp of Lehmann's workshop, these drawings explore possible poses and figural arrangements that could then be transferred onto tracing paper, gridded, and enlarged for the completed mural. Red chalk creates the depth of soft and shadowed flesh, while a black Conté́́ crayon emphasizes the clean contours of the bodies. These studies offer a view of the artist's working process as he developed the scene of The Souls Carried to Christ's Feet by Angels, which depicts Christ speaking words of consolation to the blind.