Head of Bearded Man (recto); Head of a Girl (verso)
Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli Italian
Previously attributed to Parmigianino (Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola) Italian
Not on view
As the late-seventeenth-century inscription "Fran.co Parmigiano" on the mount indicates, this study traditionally was believed to be by Francesco Mazzola, known as Parmigianino. It should be assigned instead to Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli and related to his painting of an unknown male sitter (private collection). Bedoli, who was Parmigianino's cousin and artistic successor, widely emulated his graphic style, so it is not surprising that there has been some confusion in the attribution of their respective drawings. Confidently executed in a mix of red and black chalk, this animated sketch differs from the painting in ways that suggest the study was made from life in preparation for the portrait. On the reverse of the sheet, the artist drew a more finished study of a female head, also in red and black chalk.
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