A Monk [verso]

c. 1500

Fra Bartolommeo

Associated Names
Fra Bartolommeo

Artist, Florentine, 1472 - 1517

The image shows an individual with the upper half of their body visible, turned slightly away from the viewer. The person's head is in profile with a partial view of the face, and the hair appears short and styled close to the head. They are clothed in a robe that drapes loosely around their shoulders and arms, with detailed fabric suggesting a flowing garment. In their hand, they hold a cluster of leaves or branches. The background is a soft, muted tone with no distinct details. The artwork is bordered by an oval frame with decorative lines surrounding it.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink with brown wash heightened with white over (black chalk?) on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    Overall (oval): 9.1 x 10.3 cm (3 9/16 x 4 1/16 in.)
    support: 10.4 x 11.3 cm (4 1/8 x 4 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1973.10.1.b

Associated Artworks

The image depicts a close-up profile of a person's face with the head and part of the neck visible. The individual is looking to the left side, showing their left profile. Facial features include a prominent forehead, defined nose, and full lips. The hair is curly and voluminous, cascading in waves and spirals with detailed styling. The person is not wearing any visible clothing or accessories. The background is a simple texture with subtle tonal variations, framed by a double-lined border within a square paper.

Head of a Child [recto]

Fra Bartolommeo

1490

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Alfred Beurdeley (sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 8-10 June 1920, no. 14, as attr. to Lorenzo di Credi, bought in); André Beurdeley (sale, Palais Galliera, Paris, 20 June 1961, no. 4, pl. B, as attr. to Lorenzo di Credi); (Wildenstein & Co., New York); George Bernier; NGA purchase in 1973.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1969

  • Art for Your Collection, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, 1969 (no catalogue).

1974

  • NGA Recent Acquisitions 1974, no. 11.

1978

  • Master Drawings from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art and Promised Gifts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1978, p. 34.

Inscriptions

upper right affixed stamp with printed number: 423

Wikidata ID

Q64562134

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