Head of a young soldier, ca. 1740

About the Work

This drawing depicts the charming face of a boy, individuality having been relinquished in favour of typification. In the dynamic of the chalk lines as well as the soft shading, it is closely related to the "Head of a bishop in profile" (530 Z) and was presumably likewise executed around 1740. The motif also appears in Giambattista Tiepolo’s etching "Three Soldiers and a Boy" from the series of "Vari Capricci" of 1742. It is not clear which of the two artists depicted it first.