Head of a young woman with elaborate curled hair
A woman's head bowed and turned in profile, her hair dressed in ringlets and braids
A finely finished study of a young woman's head, bowed and seen in near profile with the eyes lowered and the expression tender and composed. The face is softly modelled with delicate shading, while the hair is elaborately dressed: tight curls frame the brow, coils and a braided ornament are gathered at the crown, and long wavy tresses fall loose over the shoulder. It is at once a study of feminine beauty and of intricate hairdressing, worked in fine line with light washes.
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Bowed head in near profile
The head is inclined and turned so that the face is seen almost in profile, the eyes closed or downcast and the features gently rounded. The quiet, inward pose gives the study the character of a devotional or ideal female head rather than a specific portrait.
Elaborate coiffure of curls and braids
The hair is arranged with great care: crisp ringlets over the forehead, a raised mass of coils and a braided band at the crown, and long undulating locks streaming down over the neck and shoulder. The dressing of the hair is studied as attentively as the face itself.
Soft modelling of the face
The cheek, brow and lowered lids are built up with delicate gradations of tone that turn the surface of the face smoothly into shadow. The subtle handling of light on the flesh shows the drawing's use as preparation for painting.