[title not known] 

Curator: This delicate drawing, currently without a title, is by Prince Hoare, who lived from 1755 to 1834. Editor: It has a certain ephemeral quality, doesn’t it? The red and grey pencil lines suggest movement and light. Curator: Indeed. Hoare was working during a fascinating period of increased global trade, and this sitter's clothing hints at an engagement with Asian aesthetics. Her pose, seated with a faraway gaze, also places her within a long tradition of representing women in art. Editor: The composition is interesting. Note how Hoare uses the shading to draw the eye, and the subject's face is really the focal point, despite the simplicity of the lines. Curator: This work would likely have been part of a larger network of artistic exchange and production, perhaps as a preliminary study for a more elaborate painting. Editor: It's interesting to consider how even a quick sketch like this can hold so much visual information. Curator: Absolutely, a window into history.