Man Protected by the Shield of Faith
Medium
Pen and brown ink, over traces of black chalk; indented for transfer; framing lines in pen and brown ink
Dimensions
14-5/16 x 10-3/16 in. (36.4 x 25.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Charles and Jessie Price and Guy Wildenstein Gifts, Fletcher Fund, and Gift of Dr. Mortimer D. Sackler, Theresa Sackler and Family, 2000
Accession Number
2000.150
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of 16th-century Northern Europe, amid religious upheavals like the Reformation, Dutch artist Maarten van Heemerck created *Man Protected by the Shield of* in 1559. This intricate drawing, executed in pen and brown ink over of black chalk, captures a dramatic biblical allegory drawn from Ephesians 6:16, where faith serves as a spiritual shield against evil. Van Heemskerck, a pioneer of Mannerism in the Netherlands after his travels to Italy, infused the scene with dynamic energy: a resolute man wields a massive shield emblazoned with a cross, fending off demonic forces, wh...