Head of a Bearded Man

Anonymous, Bohemian, 14th century Bohemian

Not on view

Few Medieval drawings survive. This very refined and unusually well-preserved study was probably created by an artist in the immediate circle of the court of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV (r. 1355-78) at Prague. The sheet was probably made as an exemplar in a modelbook rather than as a preliminary study for a specific work. The bearded man with an intent gaze and portraitlike presence evokes a biblical patriarch, prophet, or apostle. The meticulous artist delicately outlined the figure with a fine pen and added modelling with the tip of the brush. Although working on a relatively small scale, the artist achieved a stunningly sculptural conception of form.

Head of a Bearded Man, Anonymous, Bohemian, 14th century, Pen and gray-brown ink, brush and gray-black and brown wash, traces of white gouache highlights

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Head of a Bearded Man, Anonymous, Bohemian, 14th century, Pen and gray-brown ink, brush and gray-black and brown wash, traces of white gouache highlights
Head of a Bearded Man, Anonymous, Bohemian, 14th century, Pen and gray-brown ink, brush and gray-black and brown wash, traces of white gouache highlights

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.