Titelprent met het hoofd van een oudere vrouw, naar links gekeerd c. 1766

This is a print made by Pierre Charles Ingouf in France in the late 18th century. It shows the head of an older woman, turned to the left, and is titled "First book of heads of different characters". The image encapsulates the Enlightenment interest in physiognomy. The "science" of discerning character from facial features was immensely popular at the time. Manuals of heads, like this one, would circulate among artists and amateurs, offering a catalogue of human types and their associated traits. But this particular print is after drawings by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, painter to the King. We see here the institutional structure of the French Royal art academy at work. Ingouf’s print reproduces the drawings of a prominent member of the academy, offering them to a wider audience for study and emulation. To understand the full meaning of such works, we need to delve into archives, libraries, and collections. By examining the conditions in which the artist worked, we can understand how this image participates in the cultural and intellectual life of its time.