Currently not on view
Two studies for sculpture head in profile to left,
ca. 1912–13
Amedeo Modigliani, 1884–1920; born Livorno, Italy; died Paris, France
x1948-387
Quickly sketched on a folded notebook page, these two drawings belong to a large group of studies for Modigliani’s limestone sculptures of heads and caryatids, most of which he made before the spring of 1913. The upside down, more minimal profile on the right preceded the fuller, more elaborate profile on the left. In their pronounced pendulous chins, razor-sharp noses, and extremely narrow eyes, these sketches closely resemble the radically stylized Head now in the Tate Gallery, generally dated to 1912–13. The crossed-out inscription in the lower right corner appears to read “Jane Eyre,” a reference to Charlotte Brontë’s novel of 1847, which the artist may well have read, given his wide ranging literary interests.
Information
Title
Two studies for sculpture head in profile to left
Dates
ca. 1912–13
Maker
Medium
Pen and black and brown ink
Dimensions
21.2 × 27.1 cm (8 3/8 × 10 11/16 in.)
frame: 43.2 × 55.9 × 2.5 cm (17 × 22 × 1 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Dan Fellows Platt, Class of 1895
Object Number
x1948-387
Inscription
Inscribed recto (by the artist), bottom right, in black ink (erased by black crayon): Jane Eyre;
Culture
Materials
Techniques
Subject
- Felton Gibbons, Catalogue of Italian Drawings in The Art Museum, Princeton University, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1977).
- Laura Giles, Lia Markey, Claire Van Cleave, et. al., Italian Master Drawings from the Princeton University Art Museum, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2014)., p. 108, cat. no. 44; p. 109 (illus.); p. 233, app. no. 25 (illus.)
