Violon persan before 1828

Pierre Félix van Doren created this drawing, "Violon persan," sometime in the first half of the 19th century using graphite and ink on paper. The thinness of the lines suggests that the artist used a metal stylus or a finely pointed nib. He may have used a ruling pen to create the straight lines and the circle in which the instrument sits. The paper appears to be laid, meaning it was handmade in a mold. You can see faint impressions of the wires used to hold the paper pulp as it dried. Van Doren has been careful in his mark-making, but this is no mere technical drawing. The rendering has an elegance all its own, from the delicate floral pattern on the body of the instrument to the ribbons that curl gently around it. In its time, this study may have been considered merely a practical exercise. But by attending to the skill and care evident in its making, we can appreciate its aesthetic value today.