Head of a Bearded Man

Domenichino (Domenico Zampieri)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Domenichino trained at the Carracci Academy in Bologna and went on to a successful career as a leading painter in Rome and Naples. Draftsmanship based on close study of nature was the foundation of his artistic practice. This sheet, typical of his large heads studies, was perhaps preparatory for a figure in a painting, though it cannot be directly connected to any of his known works. Using black chalk with subtle white highlights, Domenichino conveys the slightly upturned eyes and serious expression of the figure, whose gravitas is reinforced by the flowing strokes defining his hair and beard.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art