Head of a Bearded Man

1579/1582

Federico Barocci

Associated Names
Federico Barocci

Artist, Italian, probably 1535 - 1612

The image depicts a close-up portrait of a man's head and face, emphasizing his facial features and hair. His head is slightly tilted downward, with eyes closed or looking down, showing the top portion and side of his face. He has a red beard and mustache, with short, dark, and messy or brushed back hair. The drawing is done in soft tones with a textured appearance created by a mix of chalks. There are no visible clothing or jewelry. The background is a plain, neutral-colored surface.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    colored chalks on blue laid paper; laid down

  • Credit Line

    Woodner Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 38 x 26.3 cm (14 15/16 x 10 3/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.182.16

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Private collection, Paris (sale, Ader Picard Tajan, Paris, 9 March 1988, no. 153); (purchased by Kate Ganz Ltd., London); purchased by Ian Woodner, New York, 30 June 1989; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990; gift to NGA, 1991.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1989

  • Master Drawings 1500-1900, Kate Ganz Ltd, at Douwes Fine Art, London, 1989, no. 3, repro.

1990

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, no. 32.

1992

  • Dürer to Diebenkorn: Recent Acquisitions of Art of Paper, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1992, no. 10.

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1995-1996, no. 61, repro.

2006

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2006-2007.

2012

  • Federico Barocci: Renaissance Master of Color and Line, Saint Louis Art Museum, 2012-2013, cat. 8.8, repro.

2013

  • Barocci: Brilliance and Grace, National Gallery of Art, London, 2013, cat. 8.8, repro.

2017

  • The Woodner Collections: Master Drawings from Seven Centuries, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2017.

2019

  • The Touch of Color: Pastels at the National Gallery of Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 2019-2020, unnumbered catalogue.

Bibliography

1998

  • McGrath, Thomas. "Federico Barocci and the history of pastelli in central Italy." Apollo 148 (November 1998): 6, fig. 7.

2002

  • Verstegen, Ian Ferguson. "The Art of Painting and the Rhetoric of Persuasion." Ph.D. dissertation, Temple University, Philadelphia, 2002: 132.

Wikidata ID

Q64561229

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