A Skull c. 1615 - 1630

pencil drawn

amateur sketch

light pencil work

thin stroke sketch

pencil sketch

incomplete sketchy

pen-ink sketch

united-states

sketchbook drawing

pencil work

sketchbook art

This etching by Hercules Segers depicts a human skull in profile, the detailed rendering emphasizing the bony structure and textured surface. Created between 1615 and 1630, the small-scale print (74mm x 106mm) showcases Segers' mastery of the medium. The work's somber subject matter and expressive linework are typical of the artist's fascination with mortality and the fleeting nature of life. The print is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Comments

rijksmuseum over 1 year ago

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The meticulousness with which the old, battered skull is depicted with a muddle of scratches suggests that Segers was here working ‘from life.’ The skull that served as the model is different to the one in the adjacent painting (Welch Family Private Collection, United States).