Bust of a deformed old woman with one tooth, facing left
Original title: Bust of a deformed old woman with one tooth, facing left
kurzbeschreibung
In 1665 Wenceslaus Hollar etched this portrait of an old, misshapen woman who has only a single tooth left. The print survives in its only state and presents the head of this figure, marked by age, in profile.
Description
Turned to the left, the head appears in profile, its shape badly distorted: a deep furrow across the brow, a tall pointed chin, large sorrowful eyes and a sharp, warped nose. Nothing fills the background, so the figure stands entirely alone. Dense strokes of varying weight build depth and texture. A handwritten note at the upper left mentions Leonardo da Vinci and records the year 1665.
Context
The Bohemian etcher Wenceslaus Hollar made this sheet in 1665, possibly after a model by Leonardo da Vinci, as the inscription suggests. Deformed portraits of this kind belonged in the seventeenth century to physiognomic studies and to a taste for curiosities. Hollar, working in London, was known for his precise etchings and faithful detail.
Impact
The exact handling of line and the emphatic deformations give the portrait an immediate, insistent presence. Realism and expressive force combine into a brooding, almost melancholy mood that holds the viewer's gaze.
Technique
Etched lines, bitten into a plate and printed on paper, allow finely graded stroke weights that here produce shading and texture. The sheet is trimmed to the plate mark and has come down to us in this single state.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)