(b. 1684, Valenciennes, d. 1721, Nogent-sur-Marne)
Head of a Man
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Red and black chalk, 14,9 X 13 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Watteau was undoubtedly the greatest painter of the French Rococo period. His poignancy and intellectual perspicuity made him unique among his peers. This sensitively modeled head is a preparatory study for the seated figure of Mezzetin as he appears in the painting also in the Metropolitan Museum. The drawing is a typical example of the draftsmanship of Watteau, who often used a combination of red and black chalk in his figure studies.