Hoofd van jongen 1460 - 1520

Ugo da Carpi sketched this delicate head of a boy in the early 16th century. Notice the profile view, a pose harkening back to ancient coins and portrait busts, a statement on the importance of the individual, reborn during the Renaissance. The soft, curly hair, rendered with such care, echoes the classical ideals of beauty found in depictions of Apollo or Cupid. This cherubic image taps into a deep well of cultural memory, evoking innocence and purity. Think of how similar images of children, particularly those of Christ, pervade religious art. There’s something timeless in the gentle curve of the cheek, the slight parting of the lips. It’s a face we recognize, perhaps from a dream, or from countless other images across time. Da Carpi's boy becomes an archetype, a reminder of our shared humanity, forever captured in this fleeting moment.