Our work, executed in the early 1880s, belongs to a group of studies of hands – one of Ribot’s favourite themes – to which he returned repeatedly throughout his career. Like the great masters of the Renaissance, the artist was fascinated by the pictorial possibilities offered by the human hand, which he depicted in various positions, with fingers bent or extended. Although the exact number of these studies is unknown, they provide valuable insights into Ribot’s artistic practice.
For reasons of both economy and convenience, his family regularly served as models: the hands he drew were often those of his wife and daughter, as well as his own. Our drawing forms part of a series of studies executed in pen or pencil, based on his own hands. These sketches, true self portraits of a kind, demonstrate the artist’s mastery in depicting himself with remarkable accuracy. On our sheet, the pose of the fingers and the movement of the hand suggest the grasp of a pencil or a brush.
Technically, the drawing is characteristic of Ribot’s graphic production: the pen strokes are rapid yet precise, while the use of wash lends the composition with a heightened sense of volume and texture.