Head of a Woman

1898

Not on view

Best known for his allegorical and literary subjects, Vedder established a studio in Rome during the late 1860s and quickly earned a reputation for his distinctive paintings, sculptures, murals, illustrations, and writings. In this elegant pastel, a strong-featured face, draped in a classical robe, appears still, a beguiling contrast to the agitated cloth and hair swirling around her. This ideal head, which may depict a model or a friend, cannot be linked directly to a larger composition by Vedder. However, it is suggestive of figures in the artist’s 1884 drawings for Edward FitzGerald’s translation of the twelfth-century Persian text, “Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám,” which combined meditative poetry with monumental design.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Title: Head of a Woman
Artist: Elihu Vedder (American, New York 1836–1923 Rome)
Date: 1898
Culture: American
Medium: Pastel on paper
Dimensions: Framed: 15 1/2 × 18 in. (39.4 × 45.7 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Jacqueline Loewe Fowler, 2020
Object Number: 2021.14.42
Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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