Studies of Four Male Heads

Antonio Castillo y Saavedra

about 1660–1668

Reed pen and brown ink, Reed pen, Ink

J. Paul Getty Museum

Four studies of male heads are depicted, each wearing a turban. The drawings are rendered in brown ink on a light brown background. These four heads display a range of facial expressions and positions. The dignified gaze of the head at upper left contrasts with the more introverted, downward look of its counterpart on the upper right. The profile at the lower left acts as a foil to the opposite face emitting an agonized cry. Antonio del Castillo y Saavedra varied the way each scarf was tied about the hair to reflect the wearer's range of emotion. The sheet may have come from a book of instructional models for drawing. For centuries, European artists had created such modelbooks as patterns to be copied by apprentices and workshop assistants. His contemporaries ad