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Back View of a Roman Servant Boy

1771–75
Not on view
François André Vincent was a successful portraitist and history painter at the end of the eighteenth century. During his fellowship at the French Academy in Rome between 1771 and 1775, he also made a great number of caricatures. Here, Mansueto, the young servant of the painter Anicet-Charles-Gabriel Lemonnier—who owned the drawing—is the subject of Vincent’s wit. By showing the boy from the back, standing with his hands on his hips, the artist captures his determination and vigor. Whereas the offspring of wealthy families were typically well-educated and took part in a variety of pleasant pursuits, the life of a child born to the working classes was quite different. It was not until 1874 that child labor laws were enacted in France to protect children under twelve years old.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Back View of a Roman Servant Boy
  • Artist: François André Vincent (French, Paris 1746–1816 Paris)
  • Date: 1771–75
  • Medium: Black chalk
  • Dimensions: 12 1/8 x 6 5/16 in. (30.8 x 16.1 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Purchase, David L. Klein Jr. Memorial Foundation Inc. and Howard J. and Saretta Barnet Gifts, 1985
  • Object Number: 1985.6.2
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Portrait of a Mother and Child, François André Vincent French, Black chalk, heightened with white chalk, over red chalk underdrawing, on beige paper
Portrait of a Mother and Child
François André Vincent
n.d.
Man Seated at a Keyboard Instrument, François André Vincent French, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash
Man Seated at a Keyboard Instrument
François André Vincent
1774
The Clemency of Augustus (Corneille, Cinna, V, 3), François André Vincent French, Pen and brown ink over red chalk, with traces of black chalk
The Clemency of Augustus (Corneille, Cinna, V, 3)
François André Vincent
ca. 1787–88
Venus and Adonis, François André Vincent French, Black chalk, heightened with white, over stumped charcoal, on beige paper
Venus and Adonis
François André Vincent
1778
The Clemency of Augustus (recto); Knight Restraining a Female Figure (verso), François André Vincent French, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, over traces of red chalk; perspective lines in graphite (recto). Red chalk; squared in red chalk (verso).
The Clemency of Augustus (recto); Knight Restraining a Female Figure (verso)
François André Vincent
ca. 1787–88

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