A Resting Shepherd, Separate Studies of his Leg and Arm, a Man Seen from the Back, and Two Hands
Artist/Maker
Material / Technique
Dimensionsh x w: Mått 24,2 x 16,7 cm h x w: Passepartout 55 x 42 cm
Inventory numberNMH 1893/1863
Other titlesTitle (sv): Studie av vilande herde, med flera detaljstudier Title (en): A Resting Shepherd, Separate Studies of his Leg and Arm, a Man Seen from the Back, and Two Hands
DescriptionDescription: Red, black and white chalk, pen and black ink, white body colour (oxidized), on red prepared paper, 242 x 167 mm. Verso: Study of a man draped in a cloak, seen from behind, and the bust of a woman holding an object, red chalk, pen and brown ink (on the hand holding the object). Framing lines in brown ink. On the recto, the shepherd is in black chalk, some areas are rubbed, and the whole figure is reinforced with pen and black ink. The other studies are in red chalk. There are faint traces of white chalk, but the studies of the two hands have been reinforced with body colour (oxidized). The verso of the sheet has no colour preparation, the figures are all in red chalk, and only the hand holding an object is reinforced in black ink. This seems to be the same ink as in the inscription at the bottom. The figures on the verso have been cut, and it is clear that the sheet was larger and trimmed to fit the figures on the recto. Watermark: Crosier. Chain lines: 25 mm. Numbered in the lower left corner, in pen and brown ink, 18, and in pencil, 1893; in the lower right corner 1704 (Sparre), 63 (struck out) and 49 (struck out). Inscribed on the verso, in pen and brown ink, Bloemaert. The crossed-out number 49 corresponds to the number in the 1749 catalogue. The crossed-out number 63 perhaps indicates that Tessin first planned to place the drawing after the figure studies by Bloemaert in livre 18, which are numbered 59 to 62. On the reclining shepherd, the black chalk has been rubbed and the outlines have been reinforced in pen and ink. The pen work is concentrated in the folds of the garment, and they are accurately reproduced in one of B. A. Bolswert’s engravings in The First Set of Animals, a series published in 1611. In the print, the shepherd folds one arm around a girl instead of holding his stick. Three different positions of the stick are sketched. On the upper part of the sheet, red chalk with white highlights was used in the sketches of two hands, a forearm, and the back of a soldier bent forward, seen from behind. A similar study of a soldier bending to tie his skates is in the Tekenboek. The painterly studies of drapery and the bust of a woman holding a vase or cup on the verso could be later, according to Bolten as late as 1645–50. The hand holding the vase has been reworked in pen and ink, and a similar motif is reproduced in an etching in the Tekenboek. The vase is a standard attribute of St Mary Magdalene. [Magnusson, Dutch Drawings no. 43]
Collection
Geographical origin
MaterialBlack chalk (Crayon), Red crayon (Crayon), Paper, Ink, White chalk (Crayon)