Tete d'Orphee. Head of Orpheus. Carnaval de Nice, 1954. by Jean Cocteau, 1883-1963

Jean Cocteau, 1883-1963
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Tete d'Orphee. Head of Orpheus. Carnaval de Nice, 1954.

Original drawing in colour pastels on gouache-painted prepared paper. 1954. Signed in white chalk. Inscribed and dated.
Note: A project for the poster for the 1954 Carnaval de Nice.

An exceptional drawing with extremely fresh pastel colours. On wove paper overpainted by Cocteau. A small paper fault in the sheet when originally painted now retouched. Worked to the full sheet size. Sheet: 25 x 19 l/2ins. (635x495mm).

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An exceptional large-scale finished drawing for a proposed design for a study of the 'Head of Orpheus' to be used as the theme for the poster for the Carnaval de Nice in 1954. The drawing is worked in colour pastel on a sheet of paper prepared with a background of purple-red painted in gouache by Cocteau. It is rare for such large-scale drawings, especially on pre-painted sheets of paper, to have survived in such fine condition (see note below).

This drawing had remained in a Nice collection since it was executed in 1954. Cocteau's drawing of the later period is characterised by his marvellous expressive use of pure line in themes which are pared down to an essential simple core. The 'Head of Orpheus' is one of Cocteau's most characteristic late themes. Orpheus was the God of Poetry, and Cocteau thought of the act of drawing as essentially a visual expression of a poetic idea. Very much a 'universal artist', he had worked on designs for films, stage sets, ballets and theatre productions, as well as on painting, pottery and drawing and poetry, the theme of the 'Head of Orpheus' brings many of these interests into a single image.

Note: Cocteau prepared the sheet for this drawing by painting it with a purple-red background colour in gouache. The sheet had one small 1/8 inch fault in it before he drew the image. He hid this by pasting a similar coloured piece of paper behind it. We have had the fault expertly retouched to give the sheet better strength.