Gips van een antieke buste van een man Possibly 1826

Johannes Tavenraat made this drawing of a plaster cast of an antique male bust in 1826. The artwork, rendered in delicate pencil strokes, presents a study in form and texture. Notice how the artist masterfully captures the smooth, cool surface of the plaster. The upward gaze and classical features of the bust invoke a sense of timelessness and idealized beauty. The interplay of light and shadow across the face and neck adds depth and volume. Tavenraat’s choice to depict a plaster cast, rather than the original sculpture, invites consideration of representation and reproduction. The drawing underscores the classical ideals that pervaded early 19th-century art and education. This work serves not just as a visual record, but also as an engagement with the values of the past, mediated through the artist's skilled hand.