Study of the Resurrection for "Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary"

Study of the Resurrection for "Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary" by John Singer Sargent is a masterful example of preparatory drawing, created between 1903 and 1916. This large-scale study, executed in expressive charcoal on laid paper, explores the composition for the Resurrection panel, which formed a critical section of the artist’s ambitious mural commission for the Boston Public Library. Sargent spent nearly three decades on the library’s extensive decorative cycle, collectively known as the Triumph of Religion, and the Fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary represents the artist's deep engagement with complex Christian iconography during the early 20th century.

Typical of Sargent’s method for monumental commissions, the charcoal medium allowed for rapid definition of form, light, and mass across the paper. The American artist utilized broad, vigorous lines and heavy shading to establish the dynamic, rising figure of Christ and the surrounding attendant forms. While celebrated globally during his lifetime for his society portraits, Sargent dedicated significant time during the 1901 to 1925 period to these demanding public works, synthesizing Renaissance mural influences with contemporary illustrative techniques. The emphasis in this particular work is on dramatic vertical movement and celestial illumination, defining the structure and mood before translation to the final painted medium.

As a drawing essential to understanding the evolution of the final mural, this work provides critical insight into Sargent’s design process and his unique approach to religious narrative. The drawing belongs to the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., and serves as an important record of the preparatory stages for one of the artist's most challenging decorative schemes. Although the original murals remain fixed in Boston, high-quality prints of related preparatory designs sometimes enter the public domain, allowing broader access to the scope and detail of Sargent's allegorical repertoire.