Sheet of Five Grotesque Heads
Caricatured male and female heads in profile and near-profile
Five grotesque bust-length heads are distributed across the sheet in pen and reddish ink, each an exaggerated character study. At upper left an old woman in a close hood turns to the right with a heavy jaw and hooked nose; at upper right a fleshy bald man in a cowl faces left. Below, a bald profile with a long plaited queue, a scowling cowled man, and a coarse-featured heavy-lipped head complete the group; no text accompanies the drawings.
On this page
Upper pair of grotesque heads
The old woman at upper left, wrapped in a hood, is given a jutting chin, sunken mouth and prominent nose, while the bald man opposite, in a monk-like cowl, faces her with a fleshy jowl and puckered lips. The two confront one another across the top of the sheet.
Lower grotesque heads
Below are a bald head in profile trailing a long braided lock, a scowling man in a hooded cape at the right, and a coarse, heavy-jawed face with thick lips at the lower centre. Each pushes physiognomic exaggeration in a different direction, from gaunt to bloated.