Alfred Dehodencq (1822–1882).

Head of a man with earrings.

Tangier (Morocco), ca. 1855–1860.

Pen and black ink on light brown paper, signed Alfred Dehodencq. 25.5 × 17.5 cm.

               A striking portrait in confident, active lines by Alfred Dehodencq, from his Moroccan period. The sitter’s upward gaze and taut features convey the immediacy typical of Dehodencq’s life studies. The signature, written in brown ink below the image, is consistent with known autograph examples from his time in Morocco, specifically in Tangiers.

Dehodencq, a French Romantic painter trained under Léon Cogniet, lived in Tangier for more than a decade, producing portraits and genre scenes of local figures. The present drawing almost certainly belongs to that period, reflecting his deep engagement with North African life and his ability to capture individuality. The present drawing does not appear in Gabriel Séailles, Alfred Dehodencq: l’homme et l’artiste (Paris, 1910): the only publication approximating a catalogue raisonné.

Condition:
Sheet evenly toned, though lighter along the edges, foxing throughout.

References:

• Gabriel Séailles, Alfred Dehodencq: l’homme et l’artiste. Paris: Société de propagation des livres d’art, 1910.
• Catalogue des tableaux, esquisses, études et dessins par feu Alfred Dehodencq, Hôtel Drouot, 1 June 1885.