Head of a Woman with Braided Hair
Study of a downcast female head, the hair drawn up in plaits and coils
A carefully finished study in black chalk shows the head of a woman inclined downward and seen in near profile from the left. The hair is dressed elaborately, swept back from the brow in soft waves and gathered into thick braided coils above and behind the head, with a few loose curls escaping at the nape. The paper is creased and stained, yet the modelling of the face remains soft and precise. No text accompanies the drawing.
On this page
Downcast female face
The woman's face is turned down and to the left, the lowered eye, straight nose and faintly smiling mouth modelled in fine chalk. Soft shadow gathers beneath the brow and along the jaw, giving the features a gentle, meditative expression.
Braided coiffure
The hair is swept back from the forehead in undulating strands and built up above and behind the head into heavy plaited coils. Small ringlets are loosened at the nape, and the whole arrangement is rendered with careful attention to the play of light over the braids.