An ink, roundel-shaped drawing of three faces in profile. From left to right: a curly-haired young man, a woman with a veil, and an older, bearded man with a turban.

John Hamilton Mortimer

Three Heads

Maker

John Hamilton Mortimer (British, 1741-1779)

Title

Three Heads

Year

ca. 1775

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

pen and ink

Dimensions

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

Credit / Object Number

Credit

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

Object Number

72.137

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer
Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum
Mar 12, 2022 – Sep 04, 2022

Label copy

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
Sep 02, 1983 – Oct 16, 1983

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

John Hamilton Mortimer (British, 1741-1779)
Three Heads, ca. 1775
Pen and ink on laid paper
23.2 cm (9 1/8 inches) (diameter)
Anonymous gift in Honor of Professor and Mrs. William Carey Poland 72.137

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