Figure study, man in medieval costume. 1993

Edwin Austin Abbey made this figure study in the late 19th or early 20th century with chalk on paper. It depicts a man in medieval costume holding a rectangular object, perhaps a book or a stone tablet. Abbey was an American artist known for his illustrations of Shakespeare and historical subjects, and this study likely relates to one of those projects. His interest in the medieval period reflects a broader cultural trend of Romanticism that idealized the past. This nostalgia developed alongside anxieties of modernization, industrialization, and urbanization. We can see it in the Arts and Crafts movement, which rejected industrial production in favor of handcrafted goods. To understand Abbey's work more fully, one could research the specific historical events and literary works that inspired him. In doing so, we can understand better the social and cultural values of the time in which it was made. Ultimately, the meaning of art is contingent on its historical context.