Study of Two Heads

A bearded man with long, wild, curling hair turns his face upward and to the side, his eyes lifted and lips parted. Behind him, a second older man with a bald crown and white beard appears in profile, half in shadow. Loose, feathery brushwork and warm flesh tones model the faces against a dark ground.

Look closer: A second, older male head in profile sits partly in shadow behind the main figure's shoulder.

Artist: Peter Paul Rubens
Date: ca. 1609
Medium: Oil on wood
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Size: 2874 × 3819 px

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Public domain · The Metropolitan Museum of Art releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1614).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (The Met Open Access, isPublicDomain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bequest of Miss Adelaide Milton de Groot (1876-1967), 1967

17th century baroque 1600s oil painting figure study portrait study rubens bearded man dark background