Old Man Facing Left with Left Hand Emerging from Robe

Wenceslaus Hollar worked in various German cities before he caught the attention of a rich English art lover, Thomas Howard, the Earl of Arundel, in 1636. Arundel hired Hollar to accompany him on his travels and record what they saw. The following year Arundel invited Hollar to return to England with him, and there Hollar resided for the rest of his life. Hollar studied the earl’s collections, often making etched copies of what he saw. This study of an old man dressed in a robe is based on a small detail from a crowded drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, which also included geometric diagrams, plant studies, notes, and a sketch of a battle scene. By extracting this detail, Hollar gave it new monumentality.