Head of an angel; after Raphael 1674 - 1755

Editor: Here we have "Head of an Angel; after Raphael," created sometime between 1674 and 1755 by Pier Leone Ghezzi. It's an ink drawing. There’s a certain… vulnerability to it. All those flowing lines, creating this sense of ethereal lightness. How do you interpret that style and what stands out for you? Curator: It’s lovely, isn't it? It captures that Baroque fascination with movement, those swirling lines practically singing. And Ghezzi is doing something clever here - riffing on Raphael, who was already a legend by this point. He's not just copying, he's almost having a conversation with a master from the High Renaissance. What do you think he is adding to it, beyond technical skill? Editor: I suppose there is more emotion on the angel's face than in some of Raphael's paintings I've seen. Is it something to do with Ghezzi working with ink? Does that change how emotions could be conveyed compared to using paint? Curator: Ink allows for a kind of immediacy, a directness. Ghezzi isn’t layering colour or carefully blending; he’s capturing a fleeting expression, an inner state. You sense that immediacy. I wonder, though, if part of it isn’t also Ghezzi trying to humanize the divine, bring the celestial down to earth. Editor: It really does make you wonder what the angel is thinking. Curator: Exactly! And in that wondering, aren't we connecting with something timeless and universal? Both Ghezzi and Raphael manage that, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Definitely! It’s fascinating how a simple drawing can contain so much. Thanks, that was really insightful.