Study of draperies on a kneeling man.

Drawing, black chalk, 36 x 33 cm, laid paper with partial watermark (probably Blauw & Zoon), signed with studio stamp "MIVB".

Matthias Ignace van Bree (1773-1839) was an Antwerp painter and one of the founders of the historical school of painting in Belgium. He played an important role as a teacher in the development of 19th-century Belgian art. In Florence he made drawings after portraits by Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. In the same year he also published his views on art in "Leçons de dessin" (lessons on drawing ). Our sketch was probably a study for a figure in a painting. Van Bree also greatly admired the masters of the Flemish school, in particular, Rubens and van Dyck.