Mandlig skægget figur med gevandter set bagfra på en fontæne 1717 - 1776

Jacques François Joseph Saly created this drawing of a male, bearded figure with robes viewed from behind, on a fountain, likely sometime in the mid-18th century. Saly, who became director of the Copenhagen Art Academy, was working in a European context deeply shaped by the legacy of the Renaissance and the burgeoning Enlightenment. The male nude, particularly in a heroic or allegorical pose, was a common subject, embodying ideals of masculine beauty and strength which at the time were, of course, exclusionary. Note how Saly’s figure, while classical in form, is depicted from an unusual angle, withholding the face and presenting a more vulnerable, human posture. The flowing water of the fountain contrasts with the figure’s solid, muscular form, perhaps symbolizing the tension between the ideal and the real. What are the unspoken stories and identities behind the classical façade? What does it mean to position a male figure this way? Ultimately, this drawing invites us to consider the complexities of representation, power, and identity.