Study for a Portrait of a Lady / Head of a Nun and Two Books
XVIII century. White chalk, Black chalk on grey paper.Not on display
This is a drawing on the recto of which is a portrait study of a lady, depicted more in than half-length. She is seated facing towards the right and holding an enormous book on her knees. The head is barely sketched out. On the verso is a study of a nun’s head and two books, also in black and white chalk.
The disproportionate size of the hands in relation to the rest of the body is very characteristic. This is a frequent flaw in González Ruíz’s drawings that allows for the attribution of some unsigned drawings which are evidently by the same hand (these include D003429, D003480, D002857).
Pérez Sánchez, Alfonso Emilio, Museo del Prado Catálogo de Dibujos T. III. Dibujos Españoles, Siglo XVIII C-Z, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 1977, p.42