Sketch of a Sphinx [?] (verso)

c. 1879–80

Sketch of a Sphinx [?] (verso), c. 1879–80. Luc-Olivier Merson (French, 1846–1920). Black chalk ; sheet: 25.5 x 14.5 cm (10 1/16 x 5 11/16 in.); secondary support: 27.9 x 39 cm (11 x 15 3/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, John L. Severance Fund 1997.178.b This drawing relates to Luc-Olivier Merson's Rest on the Flight into Egypt, among the most popular paintings exhibited at the 1879 Paris Salon. This dream-like, highly unusual image from the familiar bible story shows Mary and Christ resting peacefully in the arms of a Sphinx, while Joseph sleeps near their dwindling fire. In the wake of its extraordinary success, Merson made several painted replicas of the work. Here, the composition is identical, but reversed, suggesting that it may have been an alternative version of the canvas. It is possible that this drawing served as a model for a print, but the best-known printed reproduction of the painting differs from the sheet in several minor details.