Two Figures–Sphinx
1922
Graphite and watercolor on two leaves of wove paper
17.8 × 10.2 cm (7 × 4 in)
SEE IT IN PERSON
● On view now — Collection Gallery, Room 12, East Wall
Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia · verified July 2026
Discussion
FROM THE BARNES FOUNDATION’S CATALOG
This watercolor sketch shows two sphinxes in profile, one above the other. The lower one wears a white dress, while the upper is nude and rests her hands on what appears to be a boulder; each register is signed and dated "Lenna 1922." The artist was the daughter of William Barnes's dear friend William Glackens, whose Race Track (1908–9) on the adjacent wall had sparked Barnes's career as a collector. The ponytails worn by Lenna's sphinxes remind viewers that she was only nine years old when she created them.
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