This drawing shows a full-body sketch of a male figure. He is seated, with one leg bent and resting on a ledge on the right and his other leg on the ground. His body is curved slightly inward, and his head is tilted downward as he looks to the right. The man has strong facial features with defined cheekbones, a prominent nose, and a full head of slightly wavy hair that falls back from his face. He is unclothed, revealing a well-defined, muscular physique. The man sits on what appears to be a draped cloth on top of undefined steps. The background is made of thin, diagonal lines. The drawing is done in red on tan paper.
Read the visual description

This drawing shows a full-body sketch of a male figure. He is seated, with one leg bent and resting on a ledge on the right and his other leg on the ground. His body is curved slightly inward, and his head is tilted downward as he looks to the right. The man has strong facial features with defined cheekbones, a prominent nose, and a full head of slightly wavy hair that falls back from his face. He is unclothed, revealing a well-defined, muscular physique. The man sits on what appears to be a draped cloth on top of undefined steps. The background is made of thin, diagonal lines. The drawing is done in red on tan paper.

National Gallery of Art · Drawing

A Seated Male Nude

Carle Van Loo

Medium
red chalk on brown laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 48.8 x 37.9 cm (19 3/16 x 14 15/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Accession number
2009.70.239
Credit line
Joseph F. McCrindle Collection
Time span
1701 to 1725
Department
CG-E

Subjects and terms

  • Male figure
  • Fabric
  • Male nude
  • Man
  • Stone
Provenance

Joseph F. McCrindle [1923-2008], New York; Joseph F. McCrindle Foundation, 2008; gift to NGA, 2009.

Inscription

by an eighteenth-century hand, lower left in pen and black ink: Carle Van loo; by later hand, upper right in graphite: [w?]; by later hand, lower right in graphite: 48159 / Loyau

NGA object ID 143829. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.