ticketsMember | Make a donation

Head of a Man

ca. 1718
Not on view
This expressive sheet is a study for the man's head in Watteau's painting Mezzetin, also in the Museum's collection (34.138). Mezzetin was a character in the popular commedia dell'arte, typically amorous and sentimental. In the Museum's painting, he sits on a stone bench outside a building, playing a guitar and gazing plaintively at an unseen window. The artist placed a female garden statue in the woods behind the Mezzetin, its back turned to the actor, suggesting an unrequited love. In this robust red and black study, Watteau established the angle of the head, the uplifted eyes, and the parted lips that were carried over into the painting. In its emotional force and the melding of the two colors of chalk, this sheet recalls the precedent of Rubens, an artist much admired by Watteau.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Head of a Man
  • Artist: Antoine Watteau (French, Valenciennes 1684–1721 Nogent-sur-Marne)
  • Date: ca. 1718
  • Medium: Red and black chalk
  • Dimensions: 5 7/8 x 5 3/16 in. (14.9 x 13.1 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1937
  • Object Number: 37.165.107
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Mezzetin, Antoine Watteau French, Oil on canvas
Mezzetin
Antoine Watteau
ca. 1718–20
Standing Man Leaning on a Parapet; Seated Woman, Leaning on a Pedestal; Woman Walking; Man Walking, Seen in Profile
Antoine Watteau
Simon Thomassin the younger
1709–10
New Book of Different Trophies
Antoine Watteau
Chez Huquier
[ca. 1735]
L'Oeuvre D'Antoine Watteau Pientre du Roy en son Academie Roïale de Peinture et Sculpture Gravé d'après ses Tableaux & Desseins originaux...par les Soins de M. de Jullienne, Volume I, Antoine Watteau French, Engraving
L'Oeuvre D'Antoine Watteau Pientre du Roy en son Academie Roïale de Peinture et Sculpture Gravé d'après ses Tableaux & Desseins originaux...par les Soins de M. de Jullienne, Volume I
Antoine Watteau
Nicolas Henry Tardieu
ca. 1740
Figures de Differents caracteres, de Paysages . . .Volume I, Antoine Watteau French, Etching
Figures de Differents caracteres, de Paysages . . .Volume I
Multiple artists/makers
1726

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Timeline of Art History

Entries from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Showing 4 of 10

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.