Bust of a Youth Crowned with Laurel
A curly-haired young man in a fur-trimmed cloak, in black chalk with colour
A finished bust-length portrait of a beardless youth crowned with a laurel wreath, his long hair falling in tight curls to the shoulders. He wears a fur-trimmed cloak over a red garment banded with ornamented gold trim across the chest. The head is softly modelled in black chalk with delicate shading, while the costume is heightened with red and warm tints, giving the sheet the character of a finished coloured portrait.
On this page
Youth with laurel wreath
The young man is seen almost frontally, his face turned slightly to his right, with large eyes and a faint smile. A wreath of laurel leaves rings the head, and dense curls frame the face and spread over the shoulders. The individualized features give the head the character of a portrait rather than an ideal type.
Colour and modelling of the costume
The drapery is built up in soft black chalk for the fur collar and deep shadows, with red and gold heightening the tunic and its patterned bands. The blended light-and-shade of the face and the coloured washes make this a study in painterly finish rather than a rapid line sketch.