ticketsMember | Make a donation

Head of a Man Wearing a Turban

1760
Not on view
In 1760, the pastel portraitist and porcelain manufacturer Thomas Frye published Twelve Mezzotinto Prints, from Designs in the Manner of Piazetta, Drawn from Nature and as Large as Life. Frye's evocative figures, although presumably based on living models, exceed the conventions of portraiture, and also function as character studies. The man shown here—dressed in the fashionable "Turkish" manner—turns with parted lips as if poised to speak, while raising the elegant fingers of one hand in a rhetorical gesture. His long blond eyelashes and smoothly rendered wrinkles and dimples are hallmarks of Frye's refined style.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Head of a Man Wearing a Turban
  • Series/Portfolio: Life-Sized Heads, First Series
  • Artist: Thomas Frye (Irish, Edenderry 1710/11–1762 London)
  • Date: 1760
  • Medium: Mezzotint; second state
  • Dimensions: Plate: 19 7/8 × 13 15/16 in. (50.5 × 35.4 cm)
    Sheet: 23 3/8 × 16 15/16 in. (59.4 × 43 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Harry G. Friedman Bequest, 1966
  • Object Number: 66.695.7
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Maria, Countess of Coventry
Thomas Frye
Maria, Countess of Coventry
1761
Young Man Facing Front With an Open Book and Candle
Thomas Frye
1760
Charles Cholmondeley of Vale-Royal
Multiple artists/makers
1756–62
Young Woman Looking to the Right, Holding a Fan
Thomas Frye
1761
Girl Holding Up Her Necklace, Thomas Frye Irish, Mezzotint; first state, proof before letters
Girl Holding Up Her Necklace
Thomas Frye
1760

Related Content

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.