Study of the Head of a Young Man (Giacomo Orlandi di Subiaco). Johannes Niessen (German, 1821 - 1910) 1847 With his aquiline nose, unruly curly hair, and piercing gaze, Giacomo Orlandi was one of the most popular male models for foreign artists in Rome in the mid-nineteenth century. For them, his well-defined features and powerful physical presence represented the image par excellence of a Roman youth. The present portrait was created by the German painter Johannes Niessen shortly after his arrival in Rome. He used conte crayon to capture the likeness of the youth, building up the facial featu
Study of the Head of a Young Man (Giacomo Orlandi di Subiaco). Johannes Niessen (German, 1821 - 1910) 1847 With his aquiline nose, unruly curly hair, and piercing gaze, Giacomo Orlandi was one of the most popular male models for foreign artists in Rome in the mid-nineteenth century. For them, his well-defined features and powerful physical presence represented the image par excellence of a Roman youth. The present portrait was created by the German painter Johannes Niessen shortly after his arrival in Rome. He used conte crayon to capture the likeness of the youth, building up the facial features from a web of fine lines and rendering the curls of Giacomo’s hair in thick, dark function of the drawing is not known. Niessen might have created it as a study for a painting, as an exercise in life drawing, or as an autonomous work of art. Giacomo sat for Niessen at least on one other occasion, a year later in 1848. In that portrait (current location unknown), Niessen depicted him in profile with a loosely sketched cityscape behind. Recto, lower center, in graphite: “Giacomo Orlandi di Subiaco”
Size: 7315px × 9813px
Photo credit: © piemags/GB24 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords:
