William Holman Hunt, O.M., R.W.S. (1827-1910)

Hunt set out on his second tour of the Holy Land in 1869, by which time he had already conceived the idea of The Shadow of Death (Manchester City Art Gallery), which was painted there between 1870 and 1873. The painting depicts Jesus as a young man, working as a carpenter and surrounded by the tools of his trade. He is depicted stretching his arms, and as he does so, a shadow is cast behind him in the shape of a crucifixion. Judith Bronkhurst suggests that the present drawing was executed in the autumn or winter of 1869, when Hunt was studying tools for inclusion in the painting.