An 19th century muscleman?

[CelticMuscle]

Below is a quote from a famous book written in 1872 about a person who is very strong indeed. As a bit of fun, I was wondering whether any of the artists here fancied have a stab at drawing him based on the following description as if he was entered in a 21st century bodybuilding competition

"xxxxxxxxxxxx was by no means one of those Frontins depicted by Moliere with a bold gaze and a nose held high in the air; he was an honest fellow, with a pleasant face, lips a trifle protruding, soft-mannered and serviceable, with a good round head, such as one likes to see on the shoulders of a friend. His eyes were blue, his complexion rubicund and a face that was fat enough to see his own cheeks. He possesed a broad chest, a large frame which was well-built, his body muscula with a Herculean strength that the exercises of his younger days contributed to. His brown hair was somewhat tumbled; for, while the ancient sculptors are said to have known eighteen methods of arranging Minerva's tresses, xxxxxxxxxxxx was familiar with but one of dressing his own: three strokes of a large-tooth comb and he was ready"

I have blanked the name out and will reveal it when there are some suggestions

[Mad Dog]

I dunno. 19th Century conceptions of Herculean are much tamer than our own.

[markkus]

hehe...too easy for me
but many thanks for asking the question...
I read that book so many many times when I was younger
This is the french translation of the description of...
I wonder how his name was translated into English.
I blank the name too, mabe some other will find too, good luck.
Markkus

xxx n'?tait point un de ces Frontins ou Mascarilles qui, les ?paules hautes, le nez au vent, le regard assur?, l'oeil sec, ne sont que d'impudents dr?les. Non. Passepartout ?tait un brave gar?on, de physionomie aimable, aux l?vres un peu saillantes, toujours pr?tes ? go?ter ou ? caresser, un ?tre doux et serviable, avec une de ces bonnes t?tes rondes que l'on aime ? voir sur les ?paules d'un ami. Il avait les yeux bleus, le teint anim?, la figure assez grasse pour qu'il p?t lui-m?me voir les pommettes de ses joues, la poitrine large, la taille forte, une musculature vigoureuse, et il poss?dait une force hercul?enne que les exercices de sa jeunesse avaient admirablement d?velopp?e. Ses cheveux bruns ?taient un peu rageurs. Si les sculpteurs de l'Antiquit? connaissaient dix-huit fa?ons d'arranger la chevelure de Minerve, xxx n'en connaissait qu'une pour disposer la sienne : trois coups de d?m?loir, et il ?tait coiff?.

[ARCHEON]

This is a stab in the dark... but is it Thomas Hardy's Dick Dewy from "Under the Greenwood Tree"? It's the only thing that generally comes to mind.

Markkus has thrown me with the French translation. If it's a french author, I'm lost.

[glammaman2000]

...Jean-Pierre Fux's great-grampa?...

[Mdlftr]

The references to Moliere make me suspect it IS a French author. In the 19th century the big POPULAR writer would be Alexandre Dumas, who wrotes scores of books. The most famous would be "The Three Musketeers", "The Man in the Iron Mask" "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "Twenty Years After".

As a semi-wild guess, I'm going to say Athos (the big, stocky one) of the Three Musketeers.

How 'm I doing? (Famous 20th century politico quotation)

Mdlftr

[Mdlftr]

Mais je suis stupide!

C'est Passepartout!

L'author c'est Jules Verne

Depuis Le monde en quarte-vingt jours!


Mon professeur Francaise est mal a mon memoire -- je ne me souviens rien!

[CelticMuscle]

Yes, it is indeed Passepartout (the loyal servant of Phileas Fogg)

But I hope that won't discourage our "artistes" to produce a picture of him flexing that "Herculean chest"