Bust-Length Portrait of a Woman (recto); Bust-Length Study of a Girl (verso)
1557–1602
Medium
Red chalk, over possible traces of black chalk (recto); red chalk (verso)
Dimensions
Sheet: 13 11/16 x 9 13/16 in. (34.8 x 25 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1994
Accession Number
1994.143
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite double-sided drawing by Agostino Carracci (1557–1602), one of the innovative Carracci brothers from Bologna, showcases the artist's mastery of portraiture during the late 16th. On the recto, a bust-length portrait of a woman her thoughtful expression and elegant features with remarkable sensitivity, the verso features a lively study of a girl, highlighting Carracci's skill in depicting youth and vitality. Created amid the transition from Mannerism to the emerging Baroque style, these works reflect the Carracci family's push for naturalism and emotional depth in Italian art. Exe...
About the Artist
Agostino Carracci · 1557–1602
Agostino left his profession as a tailor to become an artist. His earliest works were engravings, which was an extremely profitable practice and he was famed for having attained new heights of perfection. He was also a skilled painter and collaborated with his famous relations on various commisions. Comment on works: Religious; Portraits.