Two Nude Female Figures, Pl. IX — Principes de Dessein

An accomplished academic study of two nude female figures, executed in sanguine ink to evoke the warmth of a red chalk drawing.

After J. Le Clerc; engraved by Roubillac. Plate IX from the IXe Cahier de Principes de Dessein d'Après Nature. Published by Mondhare et Jean, Paris, c. 1785. Dedicated to Louis Jean François Lagrenée.

The Principes de Dessein d'Après Nature was published in successive cahiers, each containing a set of plates after leading masters for use in French drawing schools. The dedication to Lagrenée — painter to the king and director of the French Academy in Rome — reflects the series' standing within the official academic establishment, while the printing in sanguine ink directly emulates the red chalk académies that students would have copied in the studio.

Copperplate engraving printed in sanguine ink. Sheet size approximately 41.4 × 29.7 cm. Very Good.