Four Heads (from Characaturas by Leonardo da Vinci, from Drawings by Wincelslaus Hollar, out of the Portland Museum) (1786, Met-Objekt 5570)
Original title: Four Heads (from Characaturas by Leonardo da Vinci, from Drawings by Wincelslaus Hollar, out of the Portland Museum)
kurzbeschreibung
Wenceslaus Hollar's etching Four Heads, made in 1786, brings together four studies of heads, each placed in its own square frame. The prints derive from designs by Leonardo da Vinci and belong to a series preserved from the Portland Museum. The whole is executed as an etching on paper.
Description
Four separate heads are distributed across the sheet, each set within its own small square box and shown in profile. At upper left, a head with a cap and sharp features; to its right, another capped head but with a gentler expression. At lower left, a striking hairstyle and a faint smile; at lower right, simple hair and a serious gaze. Black on white, contours and details emerge from line alone; shading is nowhere to be found.
Context
This 1786 etching belongs to a series based on drawings by Wenceslaus Hollar, which in turn go back to caricatures by Leonardo da Vinci. Hollar, a Bohemian printmaker of the seventeenth century, was known for his precise reproductions. The series from the Portland Museum was published and shows how Leonardo studies circulated through print in the eighteenth century.
Impact
A sense of calm settles quickly as you look: the clear lines and evenly distributed light guide the eye from head to head without holding it. From the different expressions a quiet tension arises, tempting you to examine each character more closely. The traditional manner evokes the art of the Renaissance and Baroque and leaves a historical impression.
Technique
Etching was used, an intaglio process in which lines are bitten into a metal plate. The black-and-white reproduction works exclusively with line to bring out the contours and fine details of the heads, without tonal values or shading. The plate measures 19.5 x 15.7 cm, the sheet 20 x 16.5 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)