- Head of a Young Woman Looking Upward
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Guido Reni was one of the most influential 17th-century Italian painters. His renderings of mythological and religious subjects are celebrated for their compositional and figural grace. Reni prepared intensely before painting his narrative works, creating numerous studies from models, including chalk drawings, such as this head of a young woman.
According to one biographer, Reni boasted about being able to “paint heads with their eyes uplifted a hundred different ways” to portray ecstasy or divine inspiration. Here, the artist’s loose, spontaneous manner animates the three-dimensionality of the woman’s head. Though her identity is not confirmed, she has a resemblance to painted portrayals by Reni of the penitent Saint Mary Magdalene with eyes lifted, tearful, and pleading.
Provenance[William H. Schab Gallery, New York, in 1981]; Private collection; [Sotheby’s, New York, January 13, 1988, lot 129]; [P. & D. Colnaghi, London, in 1993]; Private collection, Spain, until 2010; [Stephen Ongpin Fine Art, London, by 2010-2011]; purchased by MFAH, 2011.
Exhibition History"Visions of Saints," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 23 December 2011 - 18 March 2012.
"Old and Modern Master Prints & Drawings," No.62, undated (1981?), no.11; New York, Paris and London, Colnaghi, Master Drawings, 1993, no.20, New York, William H. Schab Gallery,
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
There is a separate card mounted and hinged behind the drawing, inscribed in brown ink: Raciolla di P.M.G. San Giorniano [sp?]
Signed lower right in brown ink (partially faded): N° 35 Reni Guido and ne 23. Guido Reni
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
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