Heads of Two Men: A Scribe or Pharisee and an Apostle?

This 1727 head study of a Scribe or Pharisee and an Apostle in the Royal Collection belongs to the preparatory works Ricci produced for larger narrative compositions late in his career. Painted with rapid, confident brushwork, these studies capture physiognomic types—the skeptical religious authority and the believing follower—that populate Gospel scenes. Ricci's ability to individualize character while maintaining compositional function reflects his training in the Venetian tradition of figure drawing from life. The Royal Collection's holdings of Ricci's studies give unusual insight into his working process, showing how he built complex multi-figure compositions from individual character sketches refined through successive study.

The juxtaposed heads are painted with directness and economy, Ricci's fluid brushwork capturing distinct personalities and psychological states with the spontaneous confidence of a virtuoso painter.