Head of Christ
Medium
Black chalk, mix of red and black washes, red chalk and white gouache
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 3/8 × 4 7/8 in. (8.6 × 12.5 cm) Mount: 4 7/16 in. × 6 1/8 in. (11.3 × 15.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Harvey Salzman, 2020
Accession Number
2022.25.12
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the intimate world of 19th-century French drawings, Carolus-Duran's *Head of Christ* (8) stands as a poignant study of spirituality and mastery. Created when the artist—born Charles-Auguste-Émile Duran—was in his early 30s, this small sheet (just 3⅜ × 4⅞ inches) captures the serene face of Christ using black chalk for precise contours, blended red and black washes for shadows, red chalk for warm flesh tones, and white gou for luminous highlights. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it reflects the era's fascination with religious iconography amid Franc...