Schets van een jongen met een vat Possibly 1651 - 1659

Harmen ter Borch made this small drawing of a boy with a barrel using graphite on paper. It's a quick sketch, but it shows the artist’s keen eye for detail. The paper itself is quite thin, and you can see how the graphite has been applied in varying degrees of pressure to create light and shadow. Graphite, a form of carbon, leaves a metallic sheen on the paper’s surface, giving the drawing a subtle shimmer. The artist likely used a simple graphite stick, a tool accessible and widespread during the 17th century. Sketching was a fundamental skill for artists like Ter Borch, who would have used such drawings as studies for larger paintings. Consider the social context: Ter Borch lived and worked during the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great economic prosperity and artistic achievement. Everyday life and ordinary people became subjects for art. Drawings like this one offer a glimpse into the lives of working-class individuals, capturing their daily activities with a sense of realism. Looking closely at the materials and the making, we can appreciate the artist's skill in transforming simple graphite on paper into a compelling image.