Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684–1721)
Three Views of a Soldier, One from Behind, ca. 1713–15
Red chalk, within black ink framing lines
6 11/16 x 8 5/8 in. (17 x 21.9 cm)
Musée du Louvre, Department of Prints and Drawings, Paris
Part of Watteau’s series of studies of three soldiers in movement, this drawing is notable for the exaggerated elegance of the figures’ poses. The men here are similar to those in Recruits Going to Join the Regiment, but none match exactly.