Seated Satyr Leaning Backward [recto]

1758/1765

Jean-Baptiste Deshays

Associated Names
Jean-Baptiste Deshays

Artist, French, 1729 - 1765

The image shows a male figure from the upper chest to the knees, reclining in a slightly twisted position. His left arm is extended upwards with an open hand, while his right arm supports his body on the ground. The man's head is tilted back, looking upwards with short, slightly messy hair. His facial features are partially visible, showing a focused expression. He is unclothed, revealing a muscular build. The background is a neutral, textured surface.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    black chalk with stumping, heightened with white on brown laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Woodner Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 50 x 39 cm (19 11/16 x 15 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1998.17.3.a

Associated Artworks

The image shows a drawing of a male figure with his upper body partially visible. He is in a leaning or crouched position, supporting his upper body with his arm on a surface. The man's head is tilted downward, partially turned away from view, with short, wavy hair depicted in various strokes. The drawing does not display clothing, focusing on the natural form and muscles of the figure. The background features the faint outline of what appears to be part of a wooden boat or structure. The sketch is on a textured, pale sheet, giving it an aged appearance, and the use of lines and shading is evident in rendering the figure and the background elements.

Man Reclining on the Ground and the Corner of a Bed [verso]

Jean-Baptiste Deshays

1758

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Purchased by Ian Woodner, New York, by 1973; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990; gift to NGA, 1998.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1973

  • Woodner Collection II: Old Master Drawings from the XV to the XVIII Century. William H. Schab Gallery, New York, and tour, 1973-1974, no. 101 (as François Boucher).

1990

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, no. 101 (as François Boucher).

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995-1996, no. 90 (recto only) (entry by Margaret Morgan Grasselli).

2006

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2006 - 2007 (no cat.).

2009

  • Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2009, 162-163, 285, no. 70 (color; recto and verso).

2017

  • The Woodner Collections: Master Drawings from Seven Centuries, NGA, 2017.

Bibliography

1988

  • Bonnier, Henri. François Boucher. Paris, 1988: 85 (as Boucher).

2008

  • Bancel, André. Jean-Baptiste Deshays, 1729-1765. Paris, 2008: 206, no. D.29.

Watermarks

unidentified name resembling ILEPORC (?) 1758 / GDEROIWEN (?)

Wikidata ID

Q64581116

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