Two athletes

This drawing showing two male figures, probably athletes, was possibly made as a preparatory design for a sculptured panel or low-relief. Although not by Poussin himself, it shows some characteristics of the master’s work. Active in France and Italy, Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665) executed many series of paintings and drawings, with a general moralizing tone, dealing with Christian or mythological themes influenced by Roman Antiquity and the Renaissance masters.