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Pierre Paul Prud'hon

Head of Vengeance

c. 1804
Black and white chalk, with stumping, and with traces of blue chalk, on blue laid paper (faded to tan)
50.8 × 39.9 cm (20 × 15.7 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

A study for the figure of Divine Vengeance in Prud’hon’s celebrated painting Justice and Divine Vengeance Pursuing Crime (1808), the head of Vengeance, who pursues Crime as an agent of Justice, brilliantly reflects the artist’s stated aim for the painting: “to give a commotion to the soul.” Although the drawing’s blue paper has faded almost completely to gray, the work’s expressive power remains intact.

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