The Clemency of Augustus (recto); Knight Restraining a Female Figure (verso)

François André Vincent

ca. 1787–88 · Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of red chalk; perspective lines in graphite (recto). Red chalk; squared in red chalk (verso). · Drawings and Prints

Vincent’s pen-and-ink lines vibrate with an elegant muscularity in this compositional study for his 1787 painting The Clemency of Augustus. Like his contemporary Jacques Louis David, Vincent worked out the compositions of his history paintings by first drawing the figures nude. The declamatory poses of the figures reflect their dramatic pedigree, as the artist here depicts the concluding scene of Pierre Corneille’s 1641 play, Cinna.

Artist

François André Vincent

Date

ca. 1787–88

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of red chalk; perspective lines in graphite (recto). Red chalk; squared in red chalk (verso).

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Harry G. Sperling Fund, 1985