Iron Officer on Horse c. 1937

This drawing of an Iron Officer on Horse was made by John Wilkes sometime between 1600 and 1700. I'm seeing muted tones rendered with what looks like graphite on paper, a pretty traditional medium and style for the time, which gives the artwork a certain gravitas, don't you think? I'm wondering what was going through Wilkes's mind as he rendered the subject. Was it just an exercise in capturing likeness, or did he feel the weight of history and power in the iron figure? Look at the confident posture of the officer, mirrored in the sturdy form of the horse. The dense, uniform shading evokes the solid, unyielding nature of iron, which can be read as a metaphor for strength, leadership, and the enduring nature of authority. The use of graphite is interesting because the artwork is of an iron object. I feel a sense of layered meaning - Wilkes wasn't just copying but using materials to explore how the artwork could function conceptually.