In conceiving this bronze cast work, Gargallo drew inspiration from another freestanding sculpture from 1910, made in marble.

A noteworthy feature of this sculpture, modelled in a traditional fashion, is the way they eyes and mouth have been created from empty space, connecting it with other later works in which the artist played with space and convexity. Academically trained but fully immersed in avant-garde movements, Gargallo began to explore new forms of representation in sculpture in 1910-1911, in his so-called “early copper period,” creating masks from sheets of metal. In these works he played with representation, using a variety of resources, including the emptying of eyes and mouth, as in this portrait.

This interesting fusion of two tendencies foreshadows later creations by this truly accomplished sculptor.