Two Heads of an Old and a Young Woman Looking to the Left (Ages of Woman?)
Medium
Graphite. Framing line in pen and brown ink on support (by Zoller?)
Dimensions
sheet: 4 1/4 x 3 1/8 in. (10.8 x 7.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Jean A. Bonna Gift, 2007
Accession Number
2007.223.22
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the quiet intimacy of a small graphite drawing, Frederick III, King of Denmark Norway (r. 1648–70), captures two female heads—an elderly woman and a youthful one—both gazing leftward. Titled *Two Heads of an Old a Young Woman Looking to Left (Ages of?)*, this 17th-century sketch from 1609–70 evokes timeless themes of life's stages, a motif echoing Renaissance allegories like the "Ages of Man." Measuring just 4¼ x 3⅛ inches, it's a delicate study on paper, framed by a later pen-and-brown-ink line possibly by the collector Zoller. Frederick III, better known for his absolutist rule and wars ...