A Huntsman with a Dead Hare and a Dog (Study for "Terra")
Jacques de Gheyn (II)
1590–1595
- Medium
- Pen and brown ink and brush and gray wash, over touches of charcoal, ruled with pen and black ink, on ivory laid paper, incised with a stylus for transfer, laid down on cream laid paper
- Dimensions
- Primary support: 16.7 × 13.7 cm (6 5/8 × 5 7/16 in.); Secondary support: 18.9 × 15.6 cm (7 1/2 × 6 3/16 in.)
- Genre
- ink or chalk wash
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
Tags
drawings (visual works)inkwashink or chalk washprints and drawingcoating (material)paper (fiber product)
About
One of a group of four allegorical representations of the elements, this drawing reflects Jacques de Gheyn II’s innovative approach to the subject. Instead of gods and goddesses, De Gheyn chose earthly figures like a hunter to characterize Earth (Terra), a falconer to represent Air, a fisherman as Water, and a woman cooking game as Fire. The humble image belies his careful incorporation of different media: he layered ink and ink wash over a preliminary sketch executed in charcoal.
