Seated Man Scratching His Leg
n.d.
Medium
Pen and brown ink on tan laid paper laid down on white Japanese paper
Dimensions
12.6 × 12.6 cm (5 × 5 in.)
Classification
pen and ink drawings
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
81164
Art Historical Context
Adam Elsheimer’s “Seated Man Scratching His Leg” captures a fleeting, everyday moment with remarkable intimacy. Created in pen and brown ink on tan laid paper, the small square drawing—measuring just five inches across—invites close looking. The figure’s relaxed pose, head bent and hand reaching toward his calf, feels spontaneous, as though the artist quickly recorded a neighbor or studio assistant in an unguarded instant. Elsheimer, a German artist active in Rome around 1600, was celebrated for his sensitive handling of light and human gesture. Here, the fluid ink lines and subtle hatching m...
About the Artist
Adam Elsheimer · 1578–1610
Elsheimer's meticulously detailed small paintings on copper would establish him as the most influential artist to follow Albrecht Dürer. He most likely arrived in Italy ca. 1598, where he quite possibly was associated with Hans Rottenhammer, and then moved to Rome in 1600, where he remained until his death. Comment on works: Landscapes; Religious.