Artwork Page for Drawing of a Man’s Head with an Unusual Turban

Details / Information for Drawing of a Man’s Head with an Unusual Turban

Drawing of a Man’s Head with an Unusual Turban

c. 1780

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Kishangarh

Medium
gum tempera and gold on paper
Measurements
Miniature: 22.6 x 16.5 cm (8 7/8 x 6 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2018.174
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

The man in the study appears to be a Hindu Rajput noble.

Description

The painting is a study of a man’s head, perhaps for a finished portrait. It was a common practice among artists to make preparatory sketches of people, to be manifested in later portraits. The artist has rendered the drawing with heavy outline on the eyebrows, eye, and moustache, while soft tones are employed for the modelling of the face.
A vertically oriented gum tempera and gold painting on aged beige paper depicts a man's head in profile facing left. He has light skin with reddish-pink shading, a dark mustache, and a large, almond-shaped eye. He wears a rounded white turban with a thin gold border. Faint lines suggest a high-collared garment. Small orange and red marks, along with dark script, appear on the stained and worn background.

Drawing of a Man’s Head with an Unusual Turban

c. 1780

Northwestern India, Rajasthan, Rajput Kingdom of Kishangarh

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