Head of a young woman inclined downward, with a secondary study
Red chalk studies of a veiled head, faded and rubbed
At the right of the sheet a young woman's head is inclined and turned downward, a veil draped over the hair and behind the neck, the features gently modelled in red chalk with white heightening. To the left is a fainter, more summary study, apparently of a coiffed head with a rounded mass of hair together with an extended arm and drapery. The paper is much rubbed and faded, with a red stain low at the center and a Uffizi collection stamp at the lower right.
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Veiled head inclined downward
The principal study shows a young woman's head bent forward and to her right, the eyes lowered, with a soft veil falling across the crown and down the back of the neck. The tender, downcast pose suggests a devotional figure such as a Madonna. The head and one shoulder are the most fully realized part of the sheet.
Fainter secondary study at the left
To the left is a much lighter, unfinished study, showing a rounded mass of hair or coiffure and what appears to be an outstretched arm with folds of drapery. It is drawn faintly and left in an exploratory state alongside the finished head.
Red chalk with white heightening
The head is built up in soft red chalk with strokes of white heightening picking out the veil and the lit planes of the face, producing a delicate rounded relief. The faded, rubbed surface has thinned much of this modelling.
