Profile of a Boy and Self-Portrait [recto]

1884/1886

Paul Gauguin

Associated Names
Paul Gauguin

Artist, French, 1848 - 1903

The image features two partial head portraits sketched on lightly textured paper. The top portrait shows the upper part of a person's head with a serene facial expression and closed eyes. The lower portrait portrays a man's side profile with a mustache, ear, beard, and loosely outlined hair. Both sketches lack any accessories or background elements.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and brown ink on wove paper

  • Credit Line

    The Armand Hammer Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 16.9 x 11.6 cm (6 5/8 x 4 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.217.37.a

Associated Artworks

The image displays two profile sketches of heads on a plain background. The top sketch shows a side view of a person facing left, including the head and part of the neck with subtle facial features and hair. The head is framed within a grid. The lower sketch, inside a border, shows another profile with distinct facial features and simple hair rendering. The name "Gauguin" is written below the image. The background is neutral, with no additional items.

Heads of a Boy and a Man (Self-Portrait?) [verso]

Paul Gauguin

1884

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Henri Mahaut, Cherbourg, purchased before World War I; Private Collection, USA; Armand Hammer Collection, Los Angeles, 1967; gift to NGA 1991.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1988

  • The Art of Paul Gauguin, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1988, p. XV-XVI (recto only).

Bibliography

2000

  • Jirat-Wasiutynski, Vojtech and Newton, H. Travers Jr. Technique and Meaning in the Paintings of Paul Gauguin. Cambridge, 2000: 50, fig. 17.

Inscriptions

lower center in pen and brown ink: Gauguin / par lui meme

Wikidata ID

Q64618969

You may be interested in

Loading Results