Study for Christ, Chancel of St. Bartholomew, New York

Francis Augustus Lathrop's preparatory sketch for a monumental religious work commissioned for St. Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan. The drawing captures a figure in flowing drapery rendered with confident, economical line work—hallmarks of Lathrop's approach to design. Working primarily in decorative arts and ecclesiastical commissions during the 1890s, Lathrop synthesized classical draftsmanship with contemporary aesthetics. This study demonstrates the artist's working method: rapid pen notation establishing pose and volume before execution in final media. The institutional stamp confirms its provenance within a museum collection devoted to American decorative arts.