03 — ARTWORK
Ideal Face
MICHELANGELO Buonarroti · 1530 →
- MEDIUM
- Red chalk, 203 x 165 mm
- TYPE
- Study
PALETTE
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THIS REPRODUCTION
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CURRENT LOCATION · Galleria degli Uffizi
- FILE
- 677 × 800 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
Individual or presentation drawingsEvolving naturally as a consequence of contemporary workshop practice, these highly finished drawings, intended as complete works of art in themselves, seem to have first assumed an importance in the bottega of Verrocchio. They acquired under Leonardo and especially Michelangelo the role of high art for a privileged few. That the recipients of these drawings studied them carefully is made clear in contemporary letters, again indicative of the purpose they served. The term is perhaps a little too freely applied. such as this, were done without any recognizable theme, as is the case with the 'teste divine' (divine heads). This picture is normally interpreted as the head of a young woman, but the presentation leaves room for speculation that it is an androgynous youth. The imaginative head covering and the body are merely hinted at, while the interplay of light and shadow on the throat and forehead is fully executed.
OTHER WORKS BY MICHELANGELO BUONARROTI
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-rcbba7d8ec8525a,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Ideal Face by MICHELANGELO Buonarroti},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-13},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/michelangelo-buonarroti-r3de9890382970b/ideal-face-rcbba7d8ec8525a},
urldate = {2026-09-13},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-13. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.