Unidentified depiction c. 1748

This drawing was made by Paul Egell, an important sculptor of the late baroque in Germany. The drawing is an important medium, and its rise is intimately connected to the emergence of art academies. Academies sought to codify artistic practice through instruction in specific techniques and the study of classical models. Drawing became a fundamental exercise, a means of mastering form and composition. It was also a way of developing the artist's creative imagination, of generating new ideas and exploring different possibilities. Egell’s drawing embodies this dynamic, as his sketch shows the importance of drafting and the emergence of art institutions. We can examine the drawing through the lens of the social conditions that shaped its production, by studying its relationship to the culture and institutions of its time. In fact, by looking closely at the paper, the handwriting on the side and the marks on the paper, one could speculate about the institutional context that conditioned its creation.