Young Man with a Sword 1855 - 1857

Curator: This is Mariano Fortuny Marsal’s “Young Man with a Sword," housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. It’s a pencil sketch, about 11 by 8 inches. Editor: It's so raw! It gives the impression of someone caught between worlds, the almost finished figure and the visible lines. Curator: Absolutely. You get the sense of a costume study, perhaps for a larger painting. The kilt is particularly detailed. Editor: A kilt speaks to specific labor practices, doesn't it? The weaving, the dyeing, the tailoring. Curator: Indeed. Fortuny was fascinated with historical details, but also, I think, with the romance of bygone eras. It feels incomplete, yet deeply evocative. Editor: Fortuny captures the material reality of a garment, the weight and drape of the clothing. I see how social status and identity are woven into the very fabric of existence.