Sheet of Profile Heads with Animal and Horse Studies
Dozens of male profiles, several grotesque, above sketches of horses' and animals' heads
The verso is worked as densely as the recto, its upper half filled with rows of male heads in profile, from bald and bearded elders to strongly grotesque, caricatured faces. The lower half turns to animal and horse studies, with several horses' heads and muzzles sketched among further human profiles. The leaf is stained and partly faded, with a horizontal crease across the centre; no accompanying autograph text is transcribed for this page.
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Rows of profile heads
Numerous heads are drawn in profile and packed across the sheet, some serene and idealized, many exaggerated into grotesques with heavy brows, sunken mouths, and prominent chins. The faces crowd one another and overlap, recording a rapid succession of physiognomic types.
Horses' and animals' heads
Toward the lower portion of the sheet the studies shift to animal subjects, including several horses' heads and muzzles caught in different turns. They are sketched swiftly alongside the human faces.