Bust of a Man Facing Right
William Griswold (1991) dated this drawing to the 1630s, based on its stylistic similarity with other studies of heads datable to the same period. Linda Wolk-Simon (1991) notes that Nicholas Turner (in an unpublished opinion) includes the Museum's sheet in a group of studies from the 1630s that are similar in handling and subject matter. Among this group, which features single male figures in half- or bust-length, are Studies of a Man Reading (Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge inv. 1932.233), Old Bearded Man (Royal Library, Windsor; inv. 2588) and St. Joseph Holding a Staff ( Princeton University Art Museum inv. 40-40).
While the dating of Guercino's mature period drawings can often be tricky, a date in the early to mid 1640s may be suggested on the basis of its great economy of style and technique: deep tonal modeling in washes, with little or no internal pen hatching in the shadows, a restrained use of pen and ink outlines. The drawing is precisely comparable to a study of a warrior from this period (Private Collection; Turner and Plazzotta, 1991, no. 134, pp. 161-165).
While the dating of Guercino's mature period drawings can often be tricky, a date in the early to mid 1640s may be suggested on the basis of its great economy of style and technique: deep tonal modeling in washes, with little or no internal pen hatching in the shadows, a restrained use of pen and ink outlines. The drawing is precisely comparable to a study of a warrior from this period (Private Collection; Turner and Plazzotta, 1991, no. 134, pp. 161-165).
Artwork Details
- Title: Bust of a Man Facing Right
- Artist: Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) (Italian, Cento 1591–1666 Bologna)
- Date: 1591–1666
- Medium: Pen and dark brown ink, brush with brown and gray-brown wash
- Dimensions: sheet: 5 3/8 x 6 in. (13.7 x 15.3 cm)
- Classification: Drawings
- Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1938
- Object Number: 38.179.4
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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