The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 14, 2024
Head of a Female Figure in Profile, Turned to the Right
c. 1763–1770?
Location: not on view
Description
Like the sheet shown nearby by Greuze, this drawing belongs to a type of work known as an expressive head (tête d'expression). Capturing the representation of a specific emotion on the human face became a standard exercise for artists in France and was especially popular during the second half of the 1700s. In 1758, a special prize for drawing the expressive head was established at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Although we have no documentation regarding the specific emotion Taraval wanted to capture here, the work may represent admiration or adoration.- Michelangelo Pacetti (Lugt 2057, lower left, in black inka); [Walter Schatzki, New York]; purchased in 1975.a. Because a touch of red has been added over this mark, it might easily be confused with Lugt 2057 (also a "P"), which appears in red ink. However, the shape of the letter here matches the Pacetti mark, and under magnification the black ink with which it was applied becomes apparent.
- Foster, Carter E., Sylvain Bellenger, and Patrick Shaw Cable. French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 11, p. 32-33
- French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001); Dahesh Museum of Art (February 19-May 18, 2002).
- {{cite web|title=Head of a Female Figure in Profile, Turned to the Right|url=false|author=Hughes Taraval|year=c. 1763–1770?|access-date=14 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2008.363