Jascha Heifetz
artist
John Singer Sargent
(Florence, 1856 - 1925, London)
Date1918
Place MadeUnited States, North America
MediumPencil on paper board
Dimensions23.7 x 21.9 cm (9 5/16 x 8 5/8 in.)
ClassificationsDrawings
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberP1w10
eMuseum ID722674
EmbARK ObjectID10999
Previous Number48
TMS Source ID255
Last Updated9/17/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThis evocative pencil sketch of violin virtuoso Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) was a gift from John Singer Sargent to Isabella Stewart Gardner. During Heifetz’s tour of the United States in 1918, Gardner and Sargent attended one of his performances; the experience was so vivid that Sargent made this sketch from memory and presented it to Gardner as a memento. Framing Heifetz’s expressive brow and dynamic hands within the confines of a densely shaded circle, Sargent evokes the intensity of the violinist’s focus as well as the listener’s captivation with the performer in the spotlight.
BibliographyNotesGilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 17.
Rollin van N. Hadley (ed.). Drawings: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1968), pp. 48-52, no. 24.
Rollin van N. Hadley (ed.). Drawings: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1968), pp. 48-52, no. 24.
MarksNotesInscribed, signed and dated in pencil (lower right): To Mrs. Gardner / Souvenier of Heifetz and J.S.S. March 17 1918
ProvenanceNotesGift from John Singer Sargent to Isabella Stewart Gardner, 17 March 1918.
