Donato Creti
Cremona 1671-1749 Bologna

Study of a Female Head

Red chalk
Bears an unidentified collector's mark, l. l., inscribed 3 u. l.
23 x 18 mm; 9 x 7 in

Rediscovered in the 1930s after a long period of obscurity, Creti is now chiefly remembered for the elegant style of the figures which populate his, mostly, classical and mythological paintings. He is indeed considered one of the greatest Emilian draughtsmen of the eighteenth century. Our drawing is a fine example, the girl's head described with long, delicate hatching lines. The sitter has not been identified but it is possible that it is one of Creti's sisters, whom he frequently sketched and painted.

From 1691, Creti worked on the decorations of the famous palazzo Fava on the Via Galliera in Bologna, a project that lasted more than twenty years. Much of this work is now lost. He also executed numerous paintings and altarpieces for churches in and around Bologna.