Head and shoulders of a bearded man

Details

Adolph Friedrich Erdmann von Menzel (Breslau 1815-1905 Berlin)
Head and shoulders of a bearded man
with initials 'AM.' and dated '89.' (recto) and inscribed 'gratuliert/ bestens/ Z-25ten Dez' (verso)
graphite, drawn on the back of the artist's visiting card
3 7/8 x 2 3/8 in. (9.8 x 5.9 cm)

Provenance

Anonymous sale; Christie's, New York, 23 January 2002, lot 110.
with Yvonne Tan Bunzl, 2003 (Master Drawings, no. 21, ill.).

Lot Essay

Drawn with great speed and accuracy, this small drawing displays Menzel’s exceptional talent in capturing sitter’s portraits on the spot. He made the drawing, as he often did, on his own business card, dated it to the 25th of December and wrote his congratulations, presumably to the sitter, on the verso of his card.

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