Study for the Violet Sargent Bronze Plaque

Augustus Saint-Gaudens's preparatory sketch explores compositional arrangements for a commemorative bronze plaque. The sheet presents a seated female figure in three-quarter length, shown in profile facing right, with hands resting in her lap. Saint-Gaudens worked through spatial relationships and proportions using quick linear notation, a common practice in sculptural design. The lower study refines the head's orientation and modeling. These working drawings demonstrate the sculptor's process of translating three-dimensional form onto the flat surface of a plaque—a challenge requiring careful attention to profile, drapery, and spatial enclosure within a rectangular format.