Marcel Thibault (1874-1908) "Dancing Faun" _ Drawing from the Antique

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Addendum: I thought I would scan the inscription on the back of this drawing (above) to give you an idea what I was up against when I was researching the identity of the artist. The original auction description made no mention of the inscription. To me European written script is a little quirky and it took me a while to decipher the name Marcel Thibault. I suspect this drawing was submitted as part of his admissions portfolio to the Academie Julien upper level nude drawing and painting program. Enjoy...

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Academie Julian Instructors Tony Robert-Fleury (1837-1912)(above) and Jules Joseph Lefevre (1836-1911) (below),,,,

When I spotted this drawing for sale on eBay France I suspected it was a nice pick but was prepared for it to be a run of the mill anonymous drawing from the Acadamie Julian. The listing had scant information regarding the drawing and when it finally arrived it took me several hours of detective work to nail down the name of the artist. In the upper left hand corner on the reverse is a notation in French and a grade for the drawing. For a while there I could not decipher the name of the student who had submitted the work but I was able to read the names of the instructors who graded the work: Jules Lefebvre (1836-1911) and Tony Robert-Fleury (1837-1912). Based upon what I know about these two classical academics I knew the student had to be from their time as instructors at the Academie Julian post 1870 when Lefebvre became an instructor. After researching these two famous French painters I finally deciphered the name of the student responsible for this drawing: Marcel Thibault (1874-1908). Thibault was a well known French Orientalist who traveled in North Africa frequently. He had works represented in exhibitions in Tunisia and Paris. He studied at the Academie Julian in Paris during the late 19th century.
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Caption: "Dancing Faun" Drawing from the Antique

Artist: Marcel Thibault (1874-1912)

Medium: pierre noir on student grade paper

Dated: circa 1895

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Here are a few examples of Marcel Thibault's mature works:

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Le Marchand d'oranges ...

Le Port de Marseille...

Le Bon Gite....

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Here are a few examples of the "Dancing Faun" sculpture:

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Dancing Faun .. Drawing by John Singer Sargent

Ferdinand Karl Gold (1882-1981) Male Nudes

Professor Ferdinand Karl Gold (1882 - 1981) was a famous Austrian painter, graphic artist, watercolorist, and illustrator who was born in Vienna, Austria in 1882. He studied at the Vienna Academy under Sigmund l'Allemand (1840-1910) and William Unger (1837-1932). In 1905 he was awarded a gold prize and took part in the Austrian "Hagenbund", Vienese Artist's Unit (Wiener Kuernstlerhaus) and in the Albercht Duerer Section as well. His talents included artworks in drawing, watercolor, and printmaking. These two figure studies came from a Gallery in Vienna.
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Caption: Male Nudes

Artist: Ferdinand Karl Gold (1882-1981)

Medium: Graphite on Paper

Dated: 1904

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Here are a few more examples of Gold's works:

(Below Illustrations courtesy of Wilnitsky Gallery, Vienna, Austria)

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Henry Leland (1850-1877) Nude Male, Nude Female, Nude Ephebe

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His career in art was short but marked by rapid success. Henry Leland was born in Walpole, Massachusetts in 1850 and died in a carriage accident on the streets of Paris December 5, 1877. He came late to art in 1874 after a career in mercantile pursuits. He traveled to Paris at that time and studied under Leon Bonnat (1833-1922), a leader in classical realism. He exhibited his 1st portrait, Mme. d'Alembert, at the Paris Salon of 1875. In 1877 he exhibited A Chevalier of the Time of Henry III and An Italian Girl at the Paris Salon. In 1875 during a return to Boston he painted two portraits and exhibited them at the Philadelphia Exhibition that same year. These drawings came out of a Cleveland, Ohio Auction House several years ago and into my collection. There were others in the lot but were of lesser quality and I sold them.
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Caption: Male Nudes, Female nude, Nude Ephebe

Artist: Henry Leland (1850-1974)

Medium: Charcoal on Paper

Dated: circa 1877

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Here are a few more examples of Leland's works:

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Byzantine Courtyard in Venice

Girl with Mandolin - 1876