Head of a Youth
1501 to 1550
Medium
red chalk on laid paper; laid down
Dimensions
Overall: 17.7 x 14.3 cm (6 15/16 x 5 5/8 in.) support: 25.7 x 21.3 cm (10 1/8 x 8 3/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of William B. O'Neal, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art
Accession Number
1991.150.2
Art Historical Context
Alessandro Allori’sHead of a Youth” is a delicate red-chalk drawing on laid paper, created sometime between 1501 and 1550. just under seven by six inches, the intimate study captures the gentle tilt of a young man’s head with soft, strokes that reveal both anatomical observation and a quiet sensitivity. Allori, a Florentine artist active during the late Renaissance, often used such drawings to explore the human form before translating his ideas into larger paintings. Red chalk, or sanguine, was prized in this period for its warm tone and ability to suggest the subtle modeling of skin and hair...