Head study of a crying girl, with a separate study of her mouth

Crying children appear several times in Jordaens' works (cfr "The king drinks", KMSK, Brussels) and it appears to be a popular theme that the master depicted in several paintings. Our drawing is very typical and prototypical of Jordaen's style around the 1630s (see R.A. D'Hulst, Jordaens Drawings, Arcade Brussels, Vol. 1, p. 255, Nr 1166) . With a few powerful and accurate lines, the master manages to evoke a strong emotion.
Jordaens made several drawings after life; they provided a foothold and could serve as inspiration for faces in larger paintings. Interestingly, the master drew a 2nd mouth on our drawing, as if he was considering another option or wanted to deepen this detail.
Black Chalk heightened with White, 14 x 11.5 cm (5 ¹/₂ x 4 ¹/₂ inches)
17th century