Head of an Angel (?) after Benedetto da Maiano 19th-20th century

Curator: This delicate graphite drawing, held in the collections of the Harvard Art Museums, is titled "Head of an Angel (?) after Benedetto da Maiano" by Denman Waldo Ross. Editor: Immediately, I’m struck by the gentleness of the lines. It’s like capturing a fleeting thought rather than a definitive portrait. Curator: Indeed. Notice how Ross uses subtle hatching to define form and shadow, achieving a remarkable softness despite the graphic medium. The unfinished quality adds to its ethereal nature. Editor: It really feels like the ghost of an angel, lightly sketched onto the page. I wonder what it meant to Ross—a study, a memory, a meditation? Curator: The composition emphasizes line over mass, prioritizing the play of light and shadow to articulate form. Its aesthetic is one of reduction, stripping away unnecessary detail to reveal the essential structure. Editor: It invites you to fill in the blanks, doesn't it? To complete the image in your own mind. Which, I suppose, is part of its charm. Curator: Precisely. It prompts contemplation on artistic process and the nature of representation itself. Editor: Absolutely. Looking at it, I feel like I’ve caught a glimpse of something sacred, whispered into existence.