Study Head of a Young Woman

Anthony van Dyck

ca. 1618–20 · Oil on paper, laid down on wood · European Paintings

Study heads of this type were painted by Van Dyck using live models, whose features were then repeated in finished pictures, usually of religious subjects. For example, this sketch served as the prototype for a likeness of the Virgin Mary in a depiction of the Holy Family. The iconography of the melancholy young woman with long hair streaming down her shoulders also suits images of Mary Magdalen. Intriguingly, an early biographer tells us that Van Dyck once depicted his sister Susanna in that guise.

Artist

Anthony van Dyck

Date

ca. 1618–20

Medium

Oil on paper, laid down on wood

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Ralph J. Hines, 1957