Three Prisoners c. 1503 - 1504

jacopodebarbari

pencil drawn

amateur sketch

light pencil work

pen illustration

pen sketch

pencil sketch

pencil drawing

pen-ink sketch

sketchbook drawing

pencil work

nature

"Three Prisoners" is an engraving created by Jacopo de' Barbari around 1503-1504. This artwork depicts three figures, two women and one man, bound and placed in a wooded environment. The man is tied to a tree, while the women are kneeling beside him, all appearing to be prisoners. The detailed, almost photographic, anatomical rendering of the figures suggests Barbari's interest in realism and his mastery of the engraving technique. This piece offers a glimpse into the artist's fascination with the human form and the portrayal of complex emotional states. The composition's sense of drama and the artist's attention to detail are hallmark elements of early 16th-century Renaissance art.

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rijksmuseum over 1 year ago

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Venetian Jacopo de’ Barbari worked in Germany, where his great rival was the engraver Albrecht Dürer. He used his characteristic technique of long, parallel lines to superb effect to portray the elegant physique of the young men and the gnarled trees. This puzzling, apparently ancient scene is probably intended to portray man’s vulnerability, confined by the constraints of physical existence and nature.