Study of a Figure with Headress
Medium
Graphite on paper
Dimensions
sheet: 7 1/8 x 4 in. (18.1 x 10.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mr. & Mrs. Albert Broccoli, 1979
Accession Number
1979.668.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intimate graphite drawing by Belgian artist Félicien Rops presents a study of a single human figure wearing an elaborate headdress. Executed on a small sheet measuring just over seven inches tall, the work exemplifies the quiet precision of a preparatory sketch. Rendered in delicate pencil lines, the figure emerges through careful shading and contour, inviting viewers to appreciate the artist’s attention to form and detail. As a drawing rather than a finished painting or print, the piece offers a glimpse into Rops’s working process. Graphite on paper allows for quick adjustments and subt...
About the Artist
Félicien Rops · 1833–1898
Félicien Rops, born Félicien Victor Joseph Rops on July 7, 1833, in Namur, Belgium, to a prosperous textile manufacturing family, displayed prodigious artistic talent from youth. The only child of Nicholas Rops and Sophie Maubile, he received private tutoring until age ten, followed by education at a Jesuit school in Namur (1843–1848), the Athénée Royal de Namur, and the Academy of Fine Arts there...