Lot 143: Figure of a man in classical dress, his arms raised

François-Xavier Fabre (Montpellier 1766-1837) Figure of a man in classical dress, his arms raised a draped figure ( verso ) black chalk, brown and grey wash 6¾ x 5 1/8 in. (223 x 131 mm.) and a drawing in pen and brown ink of A woman carrying a bundle with two children by Charles Meynier (2)

A study for a figure in the The Preaching of Saint John the Baptist, commissioned by the church of the Pénitents blancs in Montpellier in 1790 while Fabre was living in Rome. Because of the Revolution in France, the artist never completed the canvas but two compositionl studies including an oil on paper are preserved along with many studies for individual figures (see L'estampille l'objet d'art, numéro spécial, November 2000, François-Xavier Fabre, p. 11). We are grateful to Marie-Laure Pellicer for confirming the attribution.The second drawing in this lot is by Charles Meynier (1768-1832) and according to Isabelle Mayer-Michallon, to whom we are grateful for confirming the attribution, it can be dated circa 1793 when the artist was in Florence with his close friend Fabre.