Tobias and Sara taking leave of Raguel and Edna 1555

Maarten van Heemskerck created this drawing, *Tobias and Sara taking leave of Raguel and Edna*, with pen and brown ink. The composition is divided into distinct planes, with the foreground figures rendered in sharp detail, contrasting with the landscape and mounted figures in the background. This layered effect creates a sense of depth, yet it also flattens the overall image, drawing attention to the surface. Heemskerck employs a semiotic system of gestures and expressions. The figures' body language, from their clasped hands to their averted gazes, functions as signs that communicate complex emotions and social meanings. The architectural elements, such as the column, serve as symbolic markers that frame the narrative within a larger cultural and historical context. The drawing destabilizes established meanings of spatial representation. By juxtaposing detailed foreground elements with a compressed background, Heemskerck challenges fixed perspectives. This formal quality invites ongoing interpretation.