Head of an Irishman
Print
1999 (printed)
1999 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is one of a group of 143 state, trial and cancellation proofs of etchings by Lucian Freud (1922-2011) which came from the collection of Marc Balakjian (1938-2017) of Studio Prints. Balakjian was Freud’s printer from 1985 and worked closely with him on the production of his etchings.
The sitter here is Paul McLean (b.1964) the subject of two earlier painted portraits. The plate was bitten and first proofed on 30 July 1999, and then bitten again on 6 August. The etching shows a great linear complexity, with a range and concentration of etched lines. Balakjian inked the plate with great skill, using a stiff ink to give density ot the etched lines and a more fluid ink for the background tone that did not disturb the ink in the lines when the plate was wiped.
The sitter here is Paul McLean (b.1964) the subject of two earlier painted portraits. The plate was bitten and first proofed on 30 July 1999, and then bitten again on 6 August. The etching shows a great linear complexity, with a range and concentration of etched lines. Balakjian inked the plate with great skill, using a stiff ink to give density ot the etched lines and a more fluid ink for the background tone that did not disturb the ink in the lines when the plate was wiped.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Head of an Irishman (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Etching on paper |
| Brief description | Lucian Freud: Trial proof of Head of an Irishman, 1999. Etching. Printed by Marc Balakjian. |
| Physical description | Head and shoulders of a man wearing a suit and tie. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 21J Light in brown black. Trial proof (in pencil; by Marc Balakjian) |
| Credit line | Accepted in lieu of inheritance tax by HM Government in 2019 from the collection of Marc Balakjian and allocated to the V&A |
| Summary | This is one of a group of 143 state, trial and cancellation proofs of etchings by Lucian Freud (1922-2011) which came from the collection of Marc Balakjian (1938-2017) of Studio Prints. Balakjian was Freud’s printer from 1985 and worked closely with him on the production of his etchings. The sitter here is Paul McLean (b.1964) the subject of two earlier painted portraits. The plate was bitten and first proofed on 30 July 1999, and then bitten again on 6 August. The etching shows a great linear complexity, with a range and concentration of etched lines. Balakjian inked the plate with great skill, using a stiff ink to give density ot the etched lines and a more fluid ink for the background tone that did not disturb the ink in the lines when the plate was wiped. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.417-2020 |
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| Record created | February 17, 2020 |
| Record URL |
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