Head of a Young Roman Girl

Edgar Degas drew this portrait in 1856 during his formative years studying in Italy. The work, titled "Tête de jeune fille romaine" in French, captures a young Roman girl in a contemplative pose, gazing off to the side. Degas executed the piece using charcoal, pencil, and stump techniques, blending and softening the shading to create realistic flesh tones.

This early work predates the ballet scenes and Parisian subjects that would later make Degas famous. At twenty-two, he was absorbing the lessons of Italian Renaissance masters while developing the psychological insight that would distinguish his mature work. The textural contrast between softly rendered skin and crisper lines in the clothing shows his emerging technical sophistication.

The drawing measures 37.8 x 25.8 cm and is held at the Baltimore Museum of Art. It represents a rarely seen aspect of Degas's career, when he was building the draftsmanship skills that would underpin his later innovations.