Two Sketches of David Garrick as Abel Drugger in 'The Alchymist'

Two Sketches of David Garrick as Abel Drugger in The Alchymist from around 1772 captures the actor in one of his most acclaimed character roles. Zoffany's multiple studies of Garrick in this role document the actor's famous ability to transform himself physically for different characters. Zoffany's oil technique achieved exceptional textural fidelity in the rendering of fabrics, scientific instruments, and domestic interiors, combining Flemish-inspired precision with a natural observation of...

The sketch format captures Garrick's expressive characterization with a spontaneity that reveals Zoffany's working process, less finished than his exhibited theatrical portraits but equally revealing.