Seated Old Shepherd Gesturing Towards the Sky and Speaking to Nude Male Surrounded by Tools of Measurement
Original title: Seated old shepherd gesturing towards the sky and speaking to nude male surrounded by tools of measurement
kurzbeschreibung
Made between about 1500 and 1600, this anonymous engraving presents an old shepherd seated with one hand raised toward the sky as he turns to a naked man. Measuring tools lie before the two figures, and behind them a landscape opens out with a village and trees.
Description
The bearded shepherd, wearing a loincloth and holding a staff, stretches his right hand upward. Opposite him on the left stands a naked man with a tool in his hand, facing the old man. Various measuring instruments, including a triangle, are scattered between and in front of the figures. A hilly region with trees, a village and church towers under a clear sky closes the view. Finely engraved lines and hatching create gradations of light and shadow in the monochrome print.
Context
A copy after an unknown model, the sheet belongs to the sixteenth century. Allegorical images of shepherds and scholars were common at the time, often in the context of land surveying and observation of the heavens. What exactly the combination of shepherd, naked man and measuring tools is meant to signify—whether a moral or a scientific allegory—has not been handed down.
Impact
The small print conveys a quiet, thoughtful mood, carried by the shepherd's gesture and the composed stance of the naked man. The careful linework and the richly articulated landscape give the view much depth and sharpness despite its format.
Technique
An engraving is made by incising lines into a metal plate, which is then printed onto paper. Fine hatching allows for graduated grey tones and plastic effects. The fact that this is a copy points to the spread of pictorial motifs through print reproduction in the sixteenth century.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)