Johann Heinrich Beck (1788 Dessau - 1875 ibid.) Nude study of a young, bearded man with a cane Beck's classicist drawing from around 1814 in the tradition of Anton Raphael Mengs (1728 - 1779) with subtle, almost sculptural modeling of the body. Beck studied under Ferdinand Hartmann at the Academy in Dresden from 1806 with the support of the Dessau ducal court, where he copied the masterpieces in the picture gallery. Beck only returned to Dessau in 1817/18, became court painter and later a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin. Black and white chalk/ laid paper. Sheet approx. 55 cm x 37 cm. Black and white chalk on paper.

Composed of several subsidiaries, the Drouot Group is a major player in the art market. Hôtel Drouot, located in the heart of Paris, has been the world's largest public auction center since 1852. 15 salerooms are available to more than 70 auction houses. The emulation generated by an annual offer of 230,000 artworks from 21 major specialities - from Antiquity to street art - attracts some 3,000 visitors every day. The Group's digital platform, Drouot.com, offers digital sales - Live auctions (live broadcasting and participation in auctions), Online-only auctions (dematerialised auctions) and Buy Now sales (sales of lots at fixed prices). Nearly 2 million items are offered annually by 600 auction houses. Auction news is reported every week in La Gazette Drouot, the leading weekly magazine for the art market and culture published by Auctionspress.