Head of a Saint (profile to the right), after Fra Angelico
Medium
Black chalk, heightened with white, on pink-beige paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 1/16 x 4 3/16 in. (23 x 10.6cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Rogers Fund and Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ittleson Jr. Gift, 1973
Accession Number
1973.84
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate drawing, *Head of a Saint ( to the right), after Angelico*, showcases Edgar Degas's profound admiration for Renaissance masters. Created by the 19th-century French artist Degas as a faithful copy of a work by Fra Angelico (Guido Pietro, c. 1395–1455), it captures the serene profile of a male saint. Fra Angelico, a Dominican friar and early Renaissance, was renowned for his luminous frescoes and devotional imagery, blending spiritual grace with innovative perspective and color. Degas, an Impressionist draftsman extraordinaire, frequently studied such old masters in museums to hone...
About the Artist
Edgar Degas|Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro) · 1834–1917
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) stands as one of the most innovative artists of the nineteenth century, whose distinctive vision transformed how modern life could be depicted on canvas. Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris to a wealthy banking family—his father French, his mother a Louisiana Creole from New Orleans—Degas received a classical education before abandoning law studies in 1855 to pursue ...