This red chalk drawing of a male nude was made by Louis Fabritius Dubourg, sometime in the first half of the 18th century. The pose is quite striking. The figure is foreshortened, lying on his back with his legs raised. Drawings like these were made as preparatory studies for larger paintings. In the French academy, life drawing was seen as the cornerstone of artistic training. The classical style reminds us of the long history of academic art institutions and their influence on artistic production. They codified beauty, taste and technique. They also used the male nude to convey certain ideals of masculine virtue and civic duty. This drawing, now in the Rijksmuseum, represents one small piece of a complex social and institutional history. Art historians uncover this history by researching the documents and institutions that shaped its creation. The meaning of art changes as the social and institutional context evolves.