Open full image Pin

Portrait of Man in Oval

Unknown 19th Century

1850

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century Portrait

Dominant colour

Portrait of Man in Oval is a 1850 ink by Unknown 19th Century, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown 19th Century
When & what style?: 1850 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This is a black-and-white engraving of a man’s face inside an oval shape. His curly hair and beard are detailed with tiny lines, and his collar is stiff and patterned. The background is plain, so all the focus stays on his serious expression. The artist used cross-hatching—lots of crisscrossed lines—to create shadows and texture, especially on his face and clothing. It’s an old technique that makes the image look almost three-dimensional. Check out how cross-hatching works to see how artists build depth with just lines.