Study for Old Age c. 1732

This is a preparatory drawing for a painting, depicting an elderly woman seated in a chair with her arms folded in her lap. The drawing is made with black chalk on a toned paper. Nicolas Lancret, a French Rococo painter, created this artwork around 1732. The work is now in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago and shows the artist's interest in capturing the essence of everyday life, which was a common theme in his paintings. This study exemplifies the artist's use of black chalk to capture the figure's form. Lancret's talent as a draftsman, known for his figure studies, is on display in this work.