Ornament Containing a Nude Male with Pipes Framed by Two Dogs 1775 - 1825

This anonymous 18th or 19th-century graphite drawing on paper, titled "Ornament Containing a Nude Male with Pipes Framed by Two Dogs," depicts a seated, nude male figure framed by two dogs. The male figure is positioned in the center, his hands covering his ears and a pipe held between his knees. Both dogs' heads are framed by a laurel wreath. This sketch, likely a study for a larger work, demonstrates the artist's interest in decorative and figural elements common in Neoclassical art. The work is currently housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.