French School 1810 Fine Early Male Nude Red Chalk Drawing after Louis Lagrenee

Description

This listing is for a luminous male nude figure study, also known as an "academie," after Louis Lagrenée, executed in chalk on woven watermarked paper and dated 1810. Lagrenée was an accomplished French painter and student of Carle van Loo. The original drawing was included in a set of 29 the artist made for Louis-Marin Bonnet, who published them as lithographs around 1770. The original is now in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which acquired it in 1985, and it is described in the book
15th-18th Century French Drawings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
(Jacob Bean; New York, 1986; pp. 138):
This academy was engraved
en manière de sanguine
in the same direction by Louis-Marin Bonnet. The legend on the print reads: Tiré du Cabinet de Mr Lagrenée Peintre du Roy / Professeur en son Académie de Pture et Scture / L. Lagrenée delin. À Paris chez Bonnet rue St Jacques. / Dix neuvième Figure. / L. Bonnet Sculp.
The reproduced drawings were intended for collectors and for students to copy. The notations on the present sheet—"No. 1" at top right and "C." bottom middle—are indications of student work. This copy is faithful to the original with slight differences in line as would be expected.
The Lagren
é
e drawing is
described in detail as a possible 'professor's model' in the following excerpt, from
Louis Lagrenée the Elder, Danaë, drawing from Mimara Museum and painting La sommeil from Nissim de Camondo Museum
(pp. 14-15):
Seated Male Nude (fig. 6), created in sanguine is a carefully produced drawing that might have also been "modéle de professeur" if it was done when Lagrenée was already teaching at the Academy. The drawing is meticulously made, perhaps in the intention that it should be an example to the students for them to see the level they were
expected to reach in their drawing skills. The body is sharply contoured, the outlining seldom being repeated... The background is hatched in firm strokes, and in places its zigzag lines follow the curve of the outline of the body. Closer to the body they are denser, and further away from it they become sparser, until they completely disappear.
The sheet this is drawn on has a watermark that reads J WHATMAN. James Whatman invented woven paper in the 1750s.
This innovation produced paper on a smooth, regular-surfaced, woven mesh material and resulted in a sheet with a smoother, less irregular surface than previously found in 'laid' paper. All paper made before 1750 was laid paper.
All photos are taken in natural daylight, except for the two on black backgrounds; as such, there is some variance in color and brightness between shots. In incandescent interior lighting, the drawing appears soft and delicate.
Drawing measures approximately 19 1/2" w x 15"h on the right side. Overall good condition with some scattered dirt and surface imperfections throughout. Note minor creases, wrinkles and smudges, with a few small tears at the edge. See images to verify condition and feel free to ask questions.
Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée
, also known as Lagrenée the elder (1724-1805), was a French rococo painter and student of Carle van Loo. He won the Grand Prix de Rome for painting in 1749 and was elected a member of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in 1755. His younger brother Jean-Jacques Lagrenée (Lagrenée the younger) was also a painter.
Lagrenée's notable career appointments included:
Court painter to Elizabeth, Empress of Russia.
Director of the Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg.
Director of the French Academy in Rome.
Professor-rector of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture.
Honorary director-curator of the Louvre museum.
In July 1804, Napoleon I conferred upon Lagrenée the rank of chevalier (Knight) of the Legion d'Honneur.
Terms of Sale
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Condition, Shipping, and Returns
This item comes from a smoke free home. Flaws, manufacturing defects, or damages—if applicable—are noted in the description above to the best of my ability. Returns are not accepted. Measurements are approximate. Please only bid if you agree to these terms and conditions.
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