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John Hamilton Mortimer

Three Heads, ca. 1775

Now On View

Description

Maker

John Hamilton Mortimer, 1741-1779, British

Title

Three Heads

Year

ca. 1775

Medium

Pen and ink on laid paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

pen and ink

Dimensions

23.2 cm (9 1/8 inches) (diameter)

Type

Credit

Anonymous gift in Honor of Professor and Mrs. William Carey Poland

Object Number

72.137

Projects & Publications

Publications

Old Master Drawings from the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer

March 12 - September 4, 2022

This animated drawing of three invented profiles brings together different types of line. While Mortimer delineated the faces using confident unbroken outlines, the headdresses and hair are defined by tremulous open marks. Volume and shadow are evoked by the controlled application of diagonal parallel lines, while the background is activated by Mortimer’s distinctive zigzagging marks. Highly unusually, the laid lines of the paper run diagonally across the composition—likely a deliberate choice Mortimer made to further enhance the energy of the composition.

Old Master Drawings

September 2 - October 16, 1983

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Three Heads with the accession number of 72.137. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

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