Gewandfigur in Rückansicht mit ausgestrecktem rechten Arm (_) before 1730

Nicolas Lancret made this drawing of a draped figure with black chalk on paper. It is now held in the Städel Museum. Lancret, like other French artists in the 18th century, had to navigate a complex institutional landscape. The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, for example, exerted a strong influence over artistic production. They were responsible for training artists and organizing the prestigious Salon exhibitions. Lancret was admitted to the Académie Royale in 1719, a key step in his career. This sketch might have been made in preparation for a larger painting, as it was standard academic practice to study drapery. Artists like Lancret relied on such drawings to lend their finished works an air of classical elegance. To fully understand drawings like this, art historians consult archival sources and study the artist's other works. This helps us to understand the artist’s process, and the role of institutions in shaping their art.