Two Male Nudes

About the Artwork

Michelangelo’s masterful rendering of the male nude set the standard for many generations of artists studying in academies across Europe. Life drawings (made from nude models) became so essential to an artist’s training at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris (founded in 1648 by Louis XIV) that finished drawings like these were commonly called academies. Louis de Boullogne served as a professor of life drawing at the Royal Academy between 1694 and 1715. This work reflects the common practice of drawing from two models, which allowed artists to explore a narrative. Here the figures resemble a wounded warrior and his companion.

Inscriptions

signed, lower center, in black chalk: Louis De Boullongne / 1710; verso, lower right, in graphite: 1608 [underlined] / 3; lower center, in graphite: #19

Exhibition history

A Painting in Focus: Jean-Bernard Restout's Sleep and the French Royal Academy. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 14-May 23, 1999). French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001); Dahesh Museum of Art (February 19-May 18, 2002). Master/Apprentice: Imitation and Inspiration in the Renaissance. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 13, 2019-February 23, 2020).

Quick Overview

Artist: Louis de Boullogne (French, 1654–1733)
Date: 1710
Medium: black chalk, heightened with white chalk
Dimensions: Overall: 58.4 x 41.9 cm (23 x 16 1/2 in.)
Type: Drawing
Classification: Drawing
Department: Drawings
Credit line: Bequest of Muriel Butkin
Accession no.: 2008.339

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.