Head of a Bearded Old Man in Three-Quarter View Looking Down 1600 - 1700

This head of a bearded old man was painted by an anonymous artist on canvas. The dark tones and three-quarter view give the image a humble, pious quality, which may point to the painting’s function. In the absence of a known artist, we must look at the socio-cultural context of its making. Perhaps this work was a study, painted in Europe at a time when the academies were rising in power. Academic artistic practice involved many studies after life, with emphasis on ideal types. The downcast eyes and venerable beard, however, are also suggestive of religious themes, with the figure resembling any number of prophets. The cultural significance of a painting like this resides both in its aesthetic qualities and in its potential use as a devotional image. Art historians look at everything from the painting style to the canvas and pigment to help determine a work’s origin and purpose. These elements all help to illuminate the conditions of the painting's production and reception.