Een gezelschap van acht lofzingende personen rondom een tafel 1798 - 1837

Ernst Willem Jan Bagelaar created this pen and ink drawing of eight figures around a table in the late 18th or early 19th century. It's a modest work, made with readily available materials: paper, and iron gall ink which was the standard writing medium in Europe for centuries. The artist has used simple, unmodulated lines to define the figures and setting, adding depth through hatching and cross-hatching. The ink, made from iron salts and tannic acids, has a brown hue that gives the drawing a sense of warmth and age. The rapid strokes suggest the artist made this drawing with speed, and perhaps a degree of spontaneity. In its original time, this drawing would have been considered a study, a means to an end. But its modesty is part of its charm; it gives us direct access to the artist’s process of visualizing a biblical scene. By considering these aspects of material and making, we can see how Bagelaar blurred the lines between preparation and finished work, between craft and fine art.