Study for 'Astronomy,' The Sciences

Kenyon Cox's preparatory drawing depicts a seated female figure personifying Astronomy, rendered in ink with rapid, confident line work. The figure wears a headband and drapes fabric across her lap, her body modeled with anatomical precision through gestural marks. This study served as preparation for Cox's larger mural commission, part of the decorative program for the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The work demonstrates the academic tradition of life drawing that underpinned American Beaux-Arts practice, where artists developed allegorical figures through direct observation and repeated studies before executing monumental works in paint or sculpture.