Charcoal on paper marouflée on cardboard from a Normandy French collection. Signature similar to the one shown on Artprice.com. In 1843 he learned in the Rémond workshop then in that of Cabat. Fromentin differs from Cabat in very particular finesse of tones and an elegance of drawing. Since the Renaissance, bacchanalia are a frequent theme & has inspired great painters: Titian, Mantegna, Annibal Carrache, Poussin, Rubens, Van Dyck or Picasso drawings. 

“Eugène Fromentin” book by James Thompson & Barbara Wright (2008) proposes a drawings catalogue of the ancient Erik Dahl collection. Knowing these earlier classical drawings D143 “Women”, D144 “Study of men”, D145 “Two young men” & D149 “Classical group”,  the later ones around 1866-68 were a come-back to such youth classical composition. After comparing the 1843 & 1866-68 classical short periods, our drawing can obviously be dated of 1843.