Four Heads

1765

Johann Eleazar Schenau

Associated Names
Johann Eleazar Schenau
Artist, German, 1737 - 1806
The image shows a drawing of four figures. On the left, a person is depicted leaning with one hand on their cheek. They have distinct facial features including deep-set eyes and a wide nose. They wear a snug cap. In the middle, a head is facing upwards. On the right, two figures are shown; one has a long nose and curly hair, while the other's head is wrapped in cloth. The background has hatch marks. The scene seems to be a study of facial expressions or types.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Jacob Kainen Memorial Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate: 7.5 x 13.6 cm (2 15/16 x 5 3/8 in.)
    sheet: 8 x 14 cm (3 1/8 x 5 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2002.105.7

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Andresen 1864-1878, no. 6

  • Series Title

    Groups of Heads

Associated Artworks

See all 6 artworks
The image features an etching with two head-and-shoulders portraits drawn side-by-side. On the left is a woman in a slight profile facing right, with curly hair peeking out from beneath a cap. Her facial features are softly rendered, including delicate eyes, a small nose, and a gentle expression. She appears to be wearing a garment with a visible shoulder pattern and a string of beads or pearls around her neck. On the right is a man in three-quarter profile facing left, with a more intense expression, pronounced eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a broad nose, and a tightly closed mouth. He is wearing a cloth head covering wrapped around his head, with hair cascading over his shoulders. The background is plain with some unfinished sketch lines and subtle textural details, including a faint floral motif behind the woman, contributing to the classical style of the artwork.

Young Woman, Old Woman, and Man with Long Hair

Johann Eleazar Schenau
1765

Groups of Heads

Johann Eleazar Schenau
1765
The artwork features a close-up of two figures, a man and a woman, positioned side by side. The man is on the left, with curly hair and a face looking towards the woman. He wears a garment with a visible collar. The woman is on the right, with her hair partially covered by a patterned cloth or scarf. She has wide eyes and is adorned with a beaded necklace. Between them is a faint sketch of another face. The background is plain, emphasizing the detailed line work of the figures.

Young Woman Flirting with a Man

Johann Eleazar Schenau
1765

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Paul Prouté S.A., Paris); purchased 2002 by NGA.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1864

  • Andresen, Andreas. _Der deutsche Peintre-Graveur, oder die deutschen Maler als Kupferstecher nach ihrem Leben und ihren Werken, von dem letzten Drittel des 16. Jahrhunderts bis zum Schluss des 18. Jahrhunderts, und in Anschluss an Bartsch's Peintre-Grave

Inscriptions

lower center in image: Schenau inv. f. Sax. / (not deciphered)

Wikidata ID

Q76346123

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