John Gibson

John Gibson was an artist active during the mid-nineteenth century, with documented works dated between 1845 and 1850. Gibson's known output is centered on preparatory studies, sketches, and design concepts, suggesting a practice rooted in academic drawing and sculptural analysis.

The surviving body of work represented in museum collections totals fourteen pieces: twelve drawings and two manuscripts. The nature of these works reveals a consistent engagement with classical and Neoclassical subjects, focusing on the study of existing sculpture and the design of monumental architecture or funerary art.

His studies include the Design for a sarcophagus with two mourning figures and various technical sketches such as Sketch of Three Vases. Gibson frequently documented existing statuary, evidenced by works like the Sketch of a statue: Venus Entering the Bath and the Sketch of a statue: Guardian Angel. He also recorded the work of contemporaries, specifically the Sketch of a statue: Bacchante by Bartolini.

The presence of John Gibson prints and drawings in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art attests to the historical importance and museum-quality nature of his artistic documentation. Due to the time of their creation, many of these works are today part of the public domain.