Studio di testa femminile

This study of a female head is a significant addition to the catalogue of drawings by the Tuscan painter Francesco Montelatici, known as Cecco Bravo.  This drawing should be viewed in relation to the figure of Sarah depicted in the preparatory sketch for The Marriage of Sarah and Tobias, now in private collection. The particular technique employed in this sheet, namely the combined use of black and red chalk, is characteristic of the Florentine master’s drawing style and contributes to giving this study a remarkable expressive intensity.