Colour study for ‘Cymon and Iphigenia’ 1884

This oil painting, "Colour study for ‘Cymon and Iphigenia’", is a preparatory work by Frederic Leighton from 1884. The painting captures a scene with a sleeping woman in the foreground, possibly Iphigenia, dressed in flowing white robes, with a standing man, perhaps Cymon, in the background wearing a red robe, both figures are depicted under the shade of a tree. This study exemplifies Leighton’s interest in color and light, which he later implemented in the finished painting. The painting shows the artist's early exploration of color and composition for his later masterpiece.