Calpurnius

About this artwork

pen in bruin

Art Historical Context

**Calpurnius** (1602) by Lucas van Haelch is a striking pen drawing on a generous sheet measuring 321 mm high by 232 mm wide. Executed in brown ink—known as "pen in bruin" in Dutch—this work captures the artist's command of line during the early 17th century, a time when the Northern Netherlands were transitioning from Renaissance precision to Baroque expressiveness. Van Haelwech, likely a draftsman from the Low Countries, created this piece amid a flourishing tradition of ink studies that valued spontaneity and detail. The title *Calpurnius* evokes classical Roman antiquity, a popular theme ...