The Head of King Priam in Profile
about 1797–1799
- Medium
- Black, red, and white chalks, on grey prepared paper
- Dimensions
- 41.7 × 29.2 cm
- Status
- In Museum Collection
- Collect24 Art ID
- C24-207511
This sensitively modeled head study by the Bolognese artist Gaetano Gandolfi shows the aging King Priam as he mourns the death of his son, Hector who was killed by Achilles. Although reserved, Priam’s face gives sense of his inconsolable grief. The drawing was made in preparation for a painting depicting a scene from Homer’s epic poem the Iliad when the body of Hector, after having been desecrated by Achilles and his fellow soldiers, is returned to his family. Entitled Andromache’s Lament (Private collection, UK), the painting shows the lifeless body of the fallen Trojan hero in the center surrounded by his loved ones.
Provenance
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Registry history
- about 1797–1799 — Recorded in the collection of J. Paul Getty Museum — drawings
Registered on Collect24
The identity of the collector is never published. Purchase information, documents and the exact location of the artwork remain private.
Ownership not yet verified on Collect24
This artwork is documented in the Global Art Registry, but no Collect24 account is linked to it as the owner. Claiming keeps this record and its Collect24 Art ID — nothing is created a second time.
Do you own or represent this artwork? Claim this artwork →Auction history
Public sale records matched to this work. Ownership is never disclosed.
Loading sale records…