Portrait of Hadriaan Beverland Drawing a Sculpture of the Callipygian Venus 1686

This etching, created in 1686 by Isaac Beckett, depicts Hadriaan Beverland, a Dutch scholar and author, sketching a sculpture of the Callipygian Venus. Beverland, seated on a plinth, is surrounded by architectural elements, including an obelisk and a pyramid, which create a sense of monumentality and classicism. The Venus statue stands in the background, its prominent posterior emphasized in the composition. This artwork, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, reflects the artistic and intellectual trends of the 17th century, blending classical themes with contemporary interests in anatomy and perspective.