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A work made of black and white chalk, with stumping, and with traces of blue chalk, on blue laid paper (faded to tan).

Head of Vengeance

c. 1804

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon French, 1758-1823

France

A study for the figure of Divine Vengeance in Prud’hon’s celebrated paintingJustice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime (1808), the head of Vengeance, who pursues Crime as an agent of Justice, brilliantly reflects the artist’s stated aim for the painting: “to give a commotion to the soul.”
Although the drawing’s blue paper has faded almost completely to gray, the work’s expressive power remains intact.

Black and white chalk, with stumping, and with traces of blue chalk, on blue laid paper (faded to tan)

Prints and Drawings