Head of a Bearded Man Looking to Upper Left 1634 - 1689

This drawing, created by Italian artist Ciro Ferri between 1634 and 1689, is a study of a bearded man's head in profile. The drawing is rendered in black chalk on a blue-grey paper, the artist’s signature is written in black ink in the lower right corner. The artist focuses on the strong lines of the face and the texture of the hair and beard, which are all executed with great precision and detail. This drawing is an excellent example of Ferri’s skill as a draftsman and is representative of the Italian Baroque style, a period noted for its dramatic use of light and shadow, a style that Ferri incorporated in this piece. The drawing is currently on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.