Head of a Bearded Man
1516–17
Medium
Black chalk
Dimensions
6 5/8 x 5 1/4in. (16.9 x 13.4cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Florence B. Selden Bequest, 1996
Accession Number
1996.413
Tags
About this artwork
This intimate portrait drawing captures the features of an unidentified bearded man with remarkable sensitivity and precision. Lotto uses black chalk to model the subject's face through subtle gradations of tone, building up volume and texture while maintaining the spontaneity characteristic of preparatory studies. The drawing focuses attention on the sitter's facial features and expression, presenting a penetrating psychological presence that suggests this may have been a preparatory study for ...