French School, Early 19th Century - Relief Of An Antique Sculpture

French school, early 19th centuryRelevé d'une sculpture antique: statue d'empereur ou de général romain en pied

Black pencil, pen, black ink and brown wash on paper.

The drawing depicts, in a centered layout, an antique marble statue featuring a male figure in armor, dressed in a mantling cuirass and a paludamentum draped over the shoulder, the missing head revealing the original break. The figure is set in an architectural frame of pilasters adorned with foliage and surmounted by a frieze of acanthus leaves. The artist favored the rendering of volumes and shadow effects with brown wash, reserving the white of the paper to translate the marmoreal material, while the pen stroke specifies the contours and ornamental details. The preparatory pencil tracing remains visible in places, notably in the parts left in reserve.

This type of survey is in the tradition of studies after the antique practiced by French artists trained in Rome, and testifies to a documentary work with a workshop vocation.

Dimensions: 25.5 x 17 cm (on view).
Framed in gilded wood.