Man with a Beard and a Tassled Headdress, Facing Left
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
1646
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione
1646
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This is a black-and-white portrait of a bearded man wearing a tassled hat. His hair and beard are drawn with quick, tangled lines. The paper has a textured look, like old paper with a faint grid pattern. The artist used a technique that lets ink sit in the grooves of the plate, creating rich dark lines. This was common in the 1600s for detailed portraits. Next, check out etching to see how artists like this made prints.
