Attributed to Charles Le Brun

J.A. Duval le Camus (L.441); 
E. Calando (L.837);
E. Calando fils, his inventory number 506 (as Simon Vouet)

Laid down, possibly Emile Calando mount. Overall in good condition. Little surface dirt and in parts tiny rubbing of the chalk being on a sort of buff paper. Overall chalk fresh.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present drawing was attributed to Vouet while in the collection of Emile Calando fils, but stylistically it appears to be later and much closer to the work of Charles Le Brun, an artist from the atelier of Vouet, by whom he was strongly influenced.  The style of the present drawing with its vigorous use of the chalk, creating both a dynamic and an academic study of a figure, can be compared with a number of others by Le Brun, most of which are in the Cabinet des Dessins in the Louvre.¹  Le Brun was in Rome from 1642 to 1645, where he extensively studied and copied not only the antique monuments but also the decorations of both Raphael and the Carracci, whose works clearly appealed to the painter and enriched his artistic vocabulary.  The present figure appears to be inspired by prototypes found in the work of Raphael, such as the soldier seen from behind in The Judgement of Solomon in the Stanza della Segnatura, engraved in reverse in 1690 by Nicolas Bocquet.²

An alternative attribution to François Perrier has also been suggested.

1.  See, for instance, Lydia Beauvais, Charles Le Brun, Paris 2000, vol. I, pp. 214 to 224

2.  See Raphael Invenit, exhibition catalogue, Rome, Istituto Nazionale per la Grafica, 1985, p. 299, reproduced fig. 20