Head of a Saint (profile to the right), after Fra Angelico

The detailed drawing, Head of a Saint (profile to the right), after Fra Angelico, is an early academic study by Edgar Degas, demonstrating his meticulous engagement with Renaissance masters. Executed primarily in black chalk, the work utilizes white chalk heightening applied directly onto pink-beige paper. This specific technical approach allows the natural tone of the paper support to function effectively as the mid-tone, enhancing the contrast between the defined shadows and the illuminated contours of the figure's face and hood.

The subject, a Saint shown in sharp profile facing the right, is directly derived from a figure found in the frescoes or panels of the fifteenth-century Italian painter Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro). Copies like this were a standard component of nineteenth-century French academic training, offering young artists a means to master composition, drapery, and the classical representation of pious Men. This drawing emphasizes line and volume, capturing a sense of quiet reverence and demonstrating the disciplined foundation of Degas’s draftsmanship before his movement toward the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist styles.

The early date of this Drawing places it within the period where Degas was actively studying in Rome and Paris, seeking to absorb the lessons of history painting. This preparatory piece highlights the classical rigor that underlies all of Degas’s later studies of the human form. The work is held in the renowned collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and its status as a historical study means that high-quality prints and reproductions are frequently available through public domain art initiatives.