An impressive 19th century French academic high relief male nude panel. Academicism was a dominant style in European sculpture and painting in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was called so because it was dictated by the French Academy of Art (Académie des Beaux-Arts), which was probably the most influential art school back then. The study of the human body through painting, drawing, or sculpting was an essential training ground if you were to become a successful artist. There are hanging wires to the rear for hanging.