Head of Saint John the Baptist

1516

Hans Baldung Grien

Associated Names
Hans Baldung Grien

Artist, German, 1484/1485 - 1545

The image shows a pencil sketch of a man's head in side profile. The man has a large, flowing beard with intricate curls. His facial features include deep-set eyes and a slightly furrowed brow. His curly hair fills a significant portion of the portrait, blending into the voluminous beard. The drawing emphasizes line and form, with detailed texture on the hair and beard. Inscribed on the right side are the letters "JCB" and the year "1516." The background is plain, focusing on the intricacy of the hair.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    black chalk on two joined sheets of laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall (approximate): 33.6 x 29.8 cm (13 1/4 x 11 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1980.12.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(sold, Sotheby's, London, 21 March 1973, no. 31). (P.& D. Colnaghi, London); acquired 1980 by NGA.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1981

  • Hans Baldung Grien: Prints & Drawings, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT, 1981, no. 56, repro.

1986

  • Gothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg 1300-1550, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg, 1986, no. 181.

Inscriptions

upper right in monogram: HGB / 1516

Wikidata ID

Q64572918

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