Minerva Holding a Shield and Branch

Italienische Grafik 1579–1623, late 16th century

The image depicts an artistic sketch of a person from the knees up with a slightly reclined posture. The individual's head is tilted to the side, with delicate facial features, including a nose, mouth, and subtly outlined eyes. Their hair is partially covered by a headpiece or drapery. The clothing is a draped garment, possibly a dress or robe, with folds and shadows suggesting volume and movement. The person holds a long stem with leaves or flowers in one hand and the end of the fabric in the other. The background is a textured paper surface, emphasizing the figure.
Artist
Italienische Grafik 1579–1623
Date
late 16th century
Type
Drawing
Medium
pen and dark brown ink with brown and gray wash, heightened with white gouache over traces of black chalk on light gray-brown laid paper
Dimensions
22.3 × 20.5 cm
Collection
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Licence
Public domain, CC0

Image description

The image depicts an artistic sketch of a person from the knees up with a slightly reclined posture. The individual's head is tilted to the side, with delicate facial features, including a nose, mouth, and subtly outlined eyes. Their hair is partially covered by a headpiece or drapery. The clothing is a draped garment, possibly a dress or robe, with folds and shadows suggesting volume and movement. The person holds a long stem with leaves or flowers in one hand and the end of the fabric in the other. The background is a textured paper surface, emphasizing the figure.

Italienische Grafik 1579–1623