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

Francis Augustus Lathrop's preparatory sketch for a monumental religious work depicts Christ in flowing drapery with arms outstretched, haloed in luminous blue watercolor. The figure dominates the composition through gesture and hierarchical scale. Lathrop, an American designer and muralist trained in the decorative arts tradition, employs linear perspective marks and compositional notation around the figure—the working methods of an artist planning a large-scale interior installation. This study exemplifies late-nineteenth-century American ecclesiastical art, where easel sketches translated into permanent architectural interventions, bridging fine art and applied design.