Perseus c. 1701

This is a red chalk drawing of Perseus, the Greek hero, by Jacob Toorenvliet, executed around 1701. The drawing depicts the hero in full armor, holding a sword in one hand and a staff in the other. Perseus is renowned in Greek mythology for slaying the Gorgon Medusa, a creature with snake hair that could turn anyone who looked at her into stone. This drawing would have been a preliminary study for a larger work. Toorenvliet's study is a masterfully executed red chalk drawing, demonstrating his skill in anatomical detail and classical figure representation.