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Rare 18th Century Erotic Scene Drawing, Attributed to Tobias Sergel

About the Item

Rare 18th century Old master drawing of an explicit erotic scene of an couple having oral sex. Brown ink on paper with watermark, over pre-studies in black chalk. Johan Tobias Sergel was born in Stockholm in 1740. He was the son of the decorator, Christoffer Sergel and Elisabet (née Swyrner), and was the brother of the decorator, Anna Brita Sergel. His first teacher was Pierre Hubert Larchevêsque. After studying in Paris, he went to Rome, where he stayed for twelve years and sculpted a number of groups in marble. Besides subjects from classical mythology such as the Diomedes Stealing the Palladium, which he sold to the British collector, Thomas Mansel Talbot, in 1772, he also sculpted a colossal representation of The Muse of History Recording the Deeds of Gustavus Adolphus, in which are depicted the achievements of King Gustav II Adolf before the Chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna. It was in Rome also that he modelled the statue of King Gustav III, subsequently cast in bronze and purchased by the city of Stockholm in 1796. While primarily a sculptor, Sergel (inspired by English artists like Thomas Rowlandson) also drew sequential picture stories, an early form of comic strip. Summoned by Gustav III, Sergel returned to Stockholm in 1779 and continued to work there. He was an important part of the artistic elite in Stockholm, drawing a portrait of Sweden's bard Carl Michael Bellman among others. He had a relationship with the celebrated actress Fredrique Löwen and was possibly the father of one of her children. He died in his native city on 26 February 1814. In striking contrast to Sergel's sculptural work are his drawings, which are often sketchy, partly caricatured, and of an expressive realism reminiscent of Füssli in style. Unlike their dark romantic subjects, they show in addition to mythological themes preferred scenes from everyday life, including sexual depictions and are therefore significant as a cultural-historical source. Literature: • Hofmann, Werner, Johan Tobias Sergel. exhibition catalogue in the Hamburger Kunsthalle from 22. May - 21. September 1975. München 1975 • Exhibition catalogue Stockholm, Lust & Last, Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Mar. 24-Aug. 14, 2011.
  • Attributed to:
    Tobias Sergel (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 10.87 in (27.6 cm)Width: 8.86 in (22.5 cm)Depth: 0.04 in (1 mm)
  • Style:
    Neoclassical (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Paper
  • Place of Origin:
    Europe
  • Period:
    Late 18th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    circa 1780-1800
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor losses. Nice overall condition, paper is not exacetly rectangular (see photograph), some slight stains on the right side and knicks on the upper right corner.
  • Seller Location:
    Worpswede / Bremen, DE
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 29961stDibs: LU981410980923

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