Head of a Young Man in Profile c. 17th century

drawing, red-chalk

drawing

toned paper

red-chalk

pencil sketch

possibly oil pastel

fluid art

acrylic on canvas

underpainting

watercolour bleed

watercolour illustration

italy

mixed medium

watercolor

This anonymous 17th-century drawing, titled "Head of a Young Man in Profile," is a study in red chalk, showcasing the artist's keen eye for detail in capturing the subject's facial features. The young man's profile, rendered with delicate hatching, reveals a sensitive and thoughtful expression, while the loose, yet precise, lines of the hair suggest a casual yet intimate observation. This intimate study, now housed in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, offers insight into the artistic practices and conventions of the 17th century.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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This album page, with a group of chalk studies, was put together some time in the 17th century, most likely in Italy judging from the paper. It comes from a larger album that was broken up in the late 1970s and sold at auction. At this sale, four of the studies from this sheet had already been removed, where there are traces of pink adhesive. The album contained many drawings by the great Roman master, Giuseppe Cesari, called Cavaliere d'Arpino, suggesting that the drawings were collected and brought together by one of Cesari's students. The study of the bearded man and the veiled young woman on the album page have been accepted as autograph works of Cavaliere d'Arpino by scholar Herwarth Röttgen. This study of a head in profile appears, instead, to be by an artist in Cesari's circle.