A Landsknecht
Medium
Brush and black ink, with brown wash, over black chalk, on cream laid paper
Dimensions
30.7 × 19.5 cm (12 1/8 × 7 11/16 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
84233
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This mercenary has been depicted in the midst of battle, actively posed and ready to dispatch an enemy with his two-handed sword. The broad brushstrokes and bold shading add to the figure’s rough demeanor. The lower fragments completing the helmet and the piece of armor on the ground were reattached after being found pasted onto tears on the verso.
About the Artist
Peter Paul Rubens · 1577–1640
Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) stands as the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition and the greatest exponent of Baroque painting's dynamism, vitality, and sensuous exuberance. Born in Siegen, Westphalia, and raised in Antwerp, Rubens received a humanist education studying Latin and classical literature before pursuing artistic training under three masters: Tobias Verhaecht, Adam ...