The head of a seal 1520 - 1525

Hans Baldung's 'The Head of a Seal' is a drawing executed in pen and brown ink. Though seemingly a simple animal study, this artwork emerges from a rich social and cultural context in 16th-century Europe. During this period, the natural world became an increasing object of scientific and artistic scrutiny, influenced by burgeoning humanist thought and exploration. Baldung, working in Germany, was part of a generation that witnessed the rise of print culture and the dissemination of knowledge through images. The seal, an exotic creature for many inland Europeans, would have been encountered through bestiaries and travelers' tales. Baldung’s rendering, therefore, speaks not just to his skill as a draughtsman, but also to the era's expanding worldview and the role of art in documenting and interpreting the natural world. Investigating Baldung’s contemporaries, and the illustrated books of the period would offer deeper insights. The meaning of art is always shaped by its historical moment.