Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641)
François Langlois, Playing a Musette, 1641 (?)
Black chalk, heightened with white chalk, on buff paper
15 1/2 × 11 1/8 in. (39.3 × 28.3 cm)
Frits Lugt Collection, Fondation Custodia, Paris
Van Dyck’s preparatory drawing of Langlois closely accords with the painting. Nonetheless, it conveys an entirely different emotional tenor, with the painted version replacing his melancholy expression with a smile. Few drawings by Van Dyck better exemplify the bold, spare manner of his late graphic style.