Resumen de A Preparatory Study for the Reception Piece of Jean-Baptiste Corneille
An unpublished red chalk male nude preserved in the Louvre, Paris, is in fact a preparatory study for Jean-Baptiste Corneille's morceau de réception (reception piece) to the Académie Royale de Peinture et Sculpture, Paris. Reception pieces were decisive in achieving full membership in the Academy. The drawing is a preparatory study for Corneille's depiction of a scene from the story of Hercules—it shows the central figure in a manner practically identical to the painting. The drawing not only provides precious evidence of the genesis of reception pieces for the Academy during the 17th century, it is also a rare example of an academy figure executed prior to the artist having been formally received by the institution.
