Head of a Man
1549
Medium
Pen and iron gall ink (laid down)
Dimensions
6 x 4 1/8 in. (15.2 x 10.5 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Robert Lehman Collection
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
Accession Number
1975.1.857
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Head of a Man** Sebald Beham, in 1549, the meticulous precision of a Northern Renaissance master in a compact drawing measuring just 6 x 4 1/8 inches. Beham, one of theLittle Masters" of German alongside his brother Barthel and Albrecht Altdorfer, was renowned for his intricate small-scale works produced in Nuremberg. This late-career piece, rendered in pen and iron gall ink on laid paper (now laid down for preservation), exemplifies his skill in rendering human features with fine, expressive lines that convey character and depth in profile view. Iron gall ink, a standard medium of the era ...
About the Artist
Sebald Beham · 1500–1550
Sebald Beham (1500–1550), a pioneering German printmaker and painter born in Nuremberg, emerged as one of the most prolific artists of the Northern Renaissance. The elder brother of fellow artist Barthel Beham, he grew up in a milieu steeped in artistic tradition, though details of his early training remain sparsely documented. Recorded as a journeyman painter (Malergeselle) by 1521 and a master w...