MICHELANGELO Buonarroti
(b. 1475, Caprese, d. 1564, Roma)

Ideal Face

1512-30
Red chalk, 203 x 165 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

Individual or presentation drawings such as this, were done without any recognizable theme, as is the case with the 'teste divine' (divine heads). This picture is normally interpreted as the head of a young woman, but the presentation leaves room for speculation that it is an androgynous youth. The imaginative head covering and the body are merely hinted at, while the interplay of light and shadow on the throat and forehead is fully executed.




© Web Gallery of Art, created by Emil Krén and Daniel Marx.