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1 of 253523 objects
A man in a plumed headdress c. 1645-50
Etching | 10.8 x 8.0 cm (sheet of paper) | RCIN 830471.h
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An etching of the head and shoulders of a man in a feathered fur turban. He faces three-quarters to the right, and gazes downwards.
The artist's monogram is at upper right, followed by the inscription; CASTLIONUS / GEONVESE.
During the 1640s Castiglione produced two series of etchings of heads, both large and small. He explored a wide range of cultural and physiognomic types – crooked and aquiline noses, turbans and elaborate jewellery, figures reading a scroll or blowing a horn. Castiglione was not merely entertaining the viewer: he was also demonstrating his inventiveness and his ability to produce dramatic lighting with nothing more than an etcher’s needle.Provenance
Probably Joseph Smith, British Consul in Venice; from whom purchased by George III, 1762
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Medium and techniques
Etching
Measurements
10.8 x 8.0 cm (sheet of paper)
Alternative title(s)
Studies of Heads in Oriental Head-dresses (small) [historic]