Paris and Helen (Anonymous Tracing after d ’Hancarville) 1770 - 1785

"Paris and Helen (Anonymous Tracing after d ’Hancarville)" is a 1770-1785 drawing by Jacques-Louis David, depicting figures from the Trojan War. The artwork is a study of the figures from a 1756 drawing of the same subject created by French antiquarian, Pierre-François d'Hancarville. The drawing is a black chalk and black wash on paper and is a unique example of how David utilized classical Greek mythology to understand form and movement in the human body. The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses this study for future generations to admire.