I modi: Posture 4

The black and white image shows a nude man with curly hair and a beard kneeling behind a nude woman lying on her back. The woman’s left leg is raised high in the air, supported by the man’s hand, while she rests her head on her right hand with her hair elaborately braided. They are situated on a bed featuring a decorative carved lion-head post at the foot and heavy fabric curtains hanging from above. The style is neoclassical, emphasizing defined musculature and smooth shading.

This work is a 19th-century reproduction of the 'I modi' (The Positions), a series of erotic sonnets and engravings originally designed by Giulio Romano and engraved by Marcantonio Raimondi in 1524, which became a focal point of Renaissance censorship debates.