Study of a male head in profile

This is one of the manifold studies made by the painter in preparation for The Funeral of Saint Cecilia in the Roman Catacombs (P006555). Some of his preparatory works for the figures in this canvas can be found in the Museo del Prado collections, as is the case for this Study of a male head in profile. It is a careful and thorough oil sketch modelling the scribe’s face, with his head in its final position up to the start of the neck and with the figure already dressed in his robes. The illumination is from an indirect light source. This is a test intended to adjust the colours, which underlines the rigorously academic procedure to which Madrazo adhered while working on this painting.

The final painting is finely executed in such a way that emphasizes not only the plastic quality of the clothing in the characters’ attire, but also their skin tones, which are particularly smooth in Saint Cecilia. By dimly lighting the scene, the artist conveys with effective preciseness the mystical transcendence of the scene, plunging the background in a mild gloom. Thus, he accentuates the serene presence of the Saint’s body. Notwithstanding this, in the final work Madrazo was unable to express himself with the original fluency he demonstrated in the set of preparatory drawings in the Museo del Prado.

Navarro, C.G., Luis de Madrazo pensionado en Italia: El Entierro de Santa Cecilia y sus dibujos preparatorios en el Museo del Prado. Boletín del Museo del Prado, Madrid, Museo del Prado, 2007, p.138 nº23