Study of a female head for 'Renaissance', ca. 1914-1915

Sir George Clausen RA (1852 - 1944)

RA Collection: Art

This drawing of a female head is a study for George Clausen's Renaissance, exhibited at the RA in 1915. The painting was redisovered in 2016 in the Belgian ambassador's residence in London.

The identity of the model is not known, but the Clausen scholar Kenneth McConkey has written that 'it seems likely that the figure was based, at least in part, on one of Clausen's favoured models, 'Lily' Ryan'. Ryan later married Gerald Kelly, who became President of the Royal Academy. Kelly painted numerous portrait of her, including Jane XXX in the RA Collection.