Two Heads
Original title: Two heads
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many portrait pairs of its day, this engraving by Wenceslaus Hollar places two heads in half profile facing one another rather than presenting a matched couple. Made between 1645 and 1650, the sheet survives in its only state and measures 9.5 x 13.5 cm.
Description
Two people appear in half profile, turned toward each other. On the left is an older woman with her hair pinned up and a plain blouse; on the right, a young man with neatly kept hair and a robe. The backdrop stays bare, which lets the figures stand out. Grey tonalities of the print sharpen contours and textures, and the light falls evenly from the front. At the bottom runs the signature "Leonardo da Vinci inuenit."
Context
Hollar, a Bohemian printmaker, worked in England and on the continent during the seventeenth century. According to the signature, the invention goes back to Leonardo da Vinci, and the sheet belongs to a series of studies after Italian masters. Reproductive prints of this kind were common at the time, bringing works by famous artists to a wider public.
Impact
Precise linework and a calm layout give the sheet a balanced, somewhat detached tone. Because the figures are aligned frontally, a quiet tension arises that draws the viewer into their exchange.
Technique
Hollar worked in engraving: lines are cut into a copper plate and then printed. For shadows and volume he used fine parallel hatching, characteristic of his meticulous approach.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)