Studies of ten (?) heads and two ears (recto); Studies of three figures and a head (verso) 1493 - 1503

This sheet of drawings was made by Gerard David, a Netherlandish artist, around the turn of the sixteenth century. Here we see studies of heads, drawn in metalpoint on paper, each a study in human physiognomy. David was part of the Bruges school, and his career was shaped by the artistic institutions of the time. Artists, such as David, in Bruges were dependent on patronage from the church, the aristocracy and the rising merchant class. In response to this, and with the rise of civic humanism, artists in Bruges developed a detailed realism, attention to detail, and a desire to capture the individuality of their sitters. Note here how each head possesses a distinctive character, a move away from the more generalized forms seen earlier in the medieval period. To understand David's place in the visual culture of Bruges, we can turn to archival sources, records of patronage, and the writings of contemporary thinkers. Art isn't created in a vacuum, and its meaning is always tied to its historical context.