Head of an Apostle
c. 1210
Medium
Limestone
Dimensions
H.: 43 cm (17 in.)
Classification
limestone
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
50909
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This elongated head—with its piercing, almond-shaped eyes and prominent mouth with parted lips—projects a commanding presence in limestone, despite its absent body. The unidentified subject likely represents an apostle from the biblical New Testament: Such full-length and larger-than-life-size depictions of Jesus’s followers often decorated columns or door jambs in Gothic cathedrals. The stylistic qualities of this head correspond to the architectural decoration produced for the west facade of N...
About the Artist
French
Georges Hugnet (1906–1974) was a multifaceted French artist, poet, writer, and critic whose innovative collages and graphic works bridged Dada and Surrealism. Born in Paris on July 11, 1906, he spent much of his early childhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina, returning to France around 1913. His early life and artistic training remain sparsely documented, with no records of formal art school attendanc...