Bust of an Old Man

probably 1763

Jean-Baptiste Greuze

Associated Names
Jean-Baptiste Greuze

Artist, French, 1725 - 1805

The image shows a close-up view of an older man, focusing on his head and upper torso. He is depicted lying back, with his head tilted slightly upward and to his right. His facial features are prominent, showcasing deep-set eyes, a long nose, and a slightly open mouth with visible lines around it. The man has long, wavy, gray hair that cascades down around his shoulders. He is wearing a light-colored scarf loosely tied around his neck, complementing his neutral-toned shirt. The background is a subdued, monochromatic tone.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    red, black, and white chalks with stumping and erasure on light brown laid paper, with later framing line in dark brown ink

  • Credit Line

    Woodner Collection, Gift of Dian Woodner

  • Dimensions

    overall: 46.6 x 37.6 cm (18 3/8 x 14 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2011.42.3

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Destouches (his sale, Paris, 5 March 1847, lot 48); Mahérault (his sale, Paris, 27-29 May 1880, lot 102); Charles Brück (his sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 2 February 1917, lot 59); David David-Weill [1871-1952], Neuilly; sold 1937 to (Wildenstein and Co., Inc., New York); Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (sale, London, Sotheby's, 13 July 1972, lot 13); purchased by Ian Woodner, New York; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1938

  • French XVIII Century Pastels, Water Colors and Drawings from the David-Weill Collection, Wildenstein & Co., New York, 1938, no. 98.

1944

  • French Pastels and Drawings from Clouet to Degas. Wildenstein, New York, 1944, no. 45.

1973

  • Woodner Collection II: Old Master Drawings from the XV to the XVIII Century. William H. Schab Gallery, New York, and tour, 1973-74, no. 110.

1976

  • Old Master Drawings from American Collections. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, 1976, no. 158 (Ebria Feinblatt).

1983

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection. The J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, and tour, 1983-1985, no. 58.

1986

  • Meisterzeichnungen aus Sechs Jahrhunderten: Die Sammlung Ian Woodner. Haus der Kunst, Munich, and Albertina, Vienna, 1986, no. 83.

  • Dibujos de los siglos XIV al XX: Colección Woodner. Museo del Prado, Madrid, 1986-87, no. 98.

1987

  • Master Drawings: The Woodner Collection. Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1987, no. 81.

1990

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, no. 102.

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995-1996, no. 89 (entry by Edgar Munhall).

2002

  • Greuze The Draftsman. The Frick Collection, New York; The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. New York, 2002, 92, no. 26 (Edgar Munhall).

2006

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2006 - 2007 (no cat.).

2009

  • Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2009, 168-169, 285, no. 73 (color).

2017

  • The Woodner Collections: Master Drawings from Seven Centuries, NGA, 2017.

Bibliography

1928

  • Henriot, Gabriel. Collection David-Weill: Dessins. Paris, 1928, 3: 213-214, pl. 1.

1976

  • Munhall, Edgar. Jean-Baptiste Greuze 1725-1805. Exh. cat. Wadsworth Athenaeum, Hartford; The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon. Hartford,1976: mentioned under no. 31.

1983

  • Matteson, Lynn R. "Old Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection." Pantheon 41 (1983): 386-387.

2000

  • Novosselskaya, Irina, et al. Greuze: Hjertets Dannelse. Exh. cat. Statens Museum for Kunst. Copenhagen, 2000: 9, 20, fig. 5.

Watermarks

P I B

Wikidata ID

Q64581128

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