Zittende god, met staf in linkerhand 1715 - 1798

Dionys van Nijmegen sketched this ‘Seated God, with staff in left hand’ with pen in brown ink and gray wash, sometime in the 1700s. The artist moved quickly, capturing this figure in just a few spare lines. With the pen, he was able to achieve varied effects, using hatching to create tonal variations. It’s a simple technique, but the evenness of the lines speaks to his skill. The gray wash creates atmospheric effects, and further dimensionality. On the one hand, we might think of drawing as a rarefied, highly skilled practice, one of the foundations of fine art. But at the time this sketch was made, drawing was also the basis for many other kinds of making. Artisans and designers used drawings to plan out all manner of objects. So, it’s worth considering how van Nijmegen’s command of the drawn line might also have served more quotidian purposes in the world around him. In any case, this brisk sketch is a testament to the foundational role of drawing in the 18th century.