Agostino Carracci (1557-1602)

Sheet of Caricature Heads

Parma, 1594

Pen and brown ink on paper

20.2 x 28 cm

This sheet of head studies can be viewed in the tradition of physiognomic studies began by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) when conducting anatomical investigations. However, rather than documenting realistic detail, Carracci has reduced his sketched heads to the bare essentials and lines. These range from the ideal to the grotesque. The Carracci studio in Bologna, Italy, is widely recognised as having been one of the originators of caricature in Western art in the mid-1580s.

Purchased in 2016 (No. 2016.10)

WORKS ON PAPER

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