An Ideal Head
Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys (1829-1904)
c. 1880
Black, white and red chalks
22.75 x 14.5 inches (57.7 x 36.8 cm)
Provenance: The artist, and thence by descent
Private collection on loan to the Maas Gallery [Click on the image to enlarge it]
This idealized study shows the young woman facing to the right, with her head half turned to look at the spectator. Her dark hair is done up in a bun and held in place with a white fillet. She wears a simple white dress giving her a rather classical appearance. Her right arm is bent at the elbow, her right hand is flexed at the wrist, and she appears to be picking up a pink flower. Betty Elzea felt this study was not done from life (351). The model is unknown. — Dennis T. Lanigan