Study of a male nude, seen from behind

Suvée was educated in Bruges and arrived in Paris in 1763. He studied there with Bachelier and won the Prix de Rome in 1771, beating David. As Suvée was not qualified to compete for the prize, having been born outside French territory, his birthplace was given as Armentières in French Flanders. Suvée left for Rome in 1772 and stayed at the Académie de France for six years. This drawing was probably drawn by Suvée as an exercise after the model, the practice of all artists working at the Académies. Natoire mentions this type of exercise by Suvée in a letter to the Surintendant des Bâtiments Terray, with the comment 'lesquelles m'ont parut avoir beaucoup de mérite' (A. de Montaiglon and J. Guiffrey, 'Correspondance des Directeurs de l'académie de France à Rome', Bulletin de la société de l'histoire de l'art français, 1904, XIII, p. 31).