Portrait of a Young Man
mid-19th century
Medium
Black chalk, heightened with white chalk, on brown-gray paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 11 15/16 x 9 13/16 in. (30.4 x 24.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, the Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2012
Accession Number
2012.362
Tags
Art Historical Context
Wilhelm von Kügelgen’s *Portrait of a Young Man* captures the quiet dignity of its subject through a refined drawing technique typical of mid-19th-century European portraiture. Working in black chalk heightened with white on warm brown paper, Kügelgen skillfully models the young man’s features with subtle gradations of light and shadow. This approach brings a lifelike presence to the figure while allowing the toned paper to serve as a middle value that unifies the composition. Created during a period when portrait drawings remained popular for both private keepsakes and artistic study, the wo...