Belisarius
17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and brown and gray wash. Framing lines in pen and brown ink, graphite.
Dimensions
6 9/16 x 3 7/8 in. (16.7 x 9.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.513.10
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the heart of the Metropolitan Museum of's Drawings and Prints department sits *Belisarius*, a 17th-century French drawing by an anonymous artist. Crafted with pen and brown ink, brush and and gray wash, plus subtle graphite framing lines, this sheet measures just 6 9/16 x 3 7/8 inches. Acquired through The Elisha Whittelsey Fund in 1953, it the refined draftsmanship of France's Baroque era, when artists drew inspiration from classical antiquity and dramatic historical tales. The title refers to Flavius Belisarius, the legendary 6th-century Byzantine general under Emperor Justinian I, whose...