Romeins candelabrum gedecoreerd met bladeren c. 1890 - 1922

Johanna van de Kamer made this drawing of a Roman candelabra with a pencil on paper sometime between 1873 and 1922. The graphite is so subtle here. It’s all about these gentle gradations, building up the tone to describe the form. You can feel the artist searching, trying to capture the way the light falls on the object. Looking at the detail of the leaves, there's this lovely contrast between the sharply defined edges and the softer, smudged areas. It’s like the artist is letting us in on her process, showing us how she’s thinking through the problem of representing three dimensions on a flat surface. It reminds me of some of Morandi’s still life drawings. Ultimately, this drawing isn’t just about the object itself. It's about the act of seeing, of trying to understand the world through careful observation and mark-making. It embraces the beauty of imperfection and the endless possibilities of interpretation.