The nude figure holding a rudimentary bow is a study for Mademoiselle de Migiue as the goddess Diana.
The draped figure on the other side is a study for Elisabeth Catherine de Besenval de Browstad, Marquise de Broglie, who wished to be portrayed à la Sultane in Oriental costume.
Extensive correspondence reveals the efforts undertaken to procure the correct exotic clothing, which involved borrowing costume from the celebrated Comédie-Française actress Mademoiselle Grandval.
Like many of the works in the Adrien collection sold at Sotheby’s on March 22, this sheet found a buyer within predictions, selling for €40,000 (£36,365), which was nonetheless a new auction high for a drawing by Nattier.
