Two Roman Soldiers

Augustin Pajou

ca. 1752–56 · Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash · Drawings and Prints

This sheet was made by the French sculptor Augustin Pajou while he was a pensionnaire at the French Academy in Rome between 1752 and 1756. Executed in fluid pen and wash, it depicts two Roman soldiers, one carrying a vase, the other a shield. According to the inscription, it was based on a work by Polidoro da Caravaggio (Italian, Caravaggio ca. 1499–ca. 1543 Messina), presumably one of his all’antica façade decorations in Rome.

Artist

Augustin Pajou

Date

ca. 1752–56

Medium

Pen and black ink, brush and gray wash

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Bequest of James David Draper and the Robert Isaacson Collection, 2020