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A pen and ink drawing of King David riding a lion in profile. David seems oblivious to King Samuel behind him, who is poised to ambush him with a spear.
A pen and ink drawing of King David riding a lion in profile. David seems oblivious to King Samuel behind him, who is poised to ambush him with a spear.
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  • A pen and ink drawing of King David riding a lion in profile. David seems oblivious to King Samuel behind him, who is poised to ambush him with a spear.
  • A pen and ink drawing of King David riding a lion in profile. David seems oblivious to King Samuel behind him, who is poised to ambush him with a spear.

Maerten van Heemskerck

Study for The Triumph of David

Maker

Maerten van Heemskerck (Netherlandish, 1498-1574)

Title

Study for The Triumph of David

Year

1559

Medium

  • Pen and brown ink over black chalk on laid paper,
  • incised for transfer

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Pen and brown ink over black chalk on laid paper,
  • incised for transfer

Materials

pen, chalk

Supports

  • paper

Dimensions

Image/sheet: 18.3 x 26 cm (7 3/16 x 10 1/4 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscribed in pen and ink, LR: "Martinus van Heemskerck [erased: inventor] 1559"; Inscribed verso: "no. 29 van Heemskerck" and "vergl. Berliner-Kabinett tafel 28"

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Works of Art Fund

Object Number

51.095

Type

  • Drawings and Watercolors

Publications

  • Books

The Brilliant Line: Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650

Renaissance engravings are objects of exquisite beauty and incomparable intricacy that are composed entirely of lines. Artists began using this intaglio process in Europe as early as 1430. This captivating catalogue focuses on the height of the medium, from 1480 to 1650, when engravers made dramatic and rapid visual changes to engraving technique as they responded to the demands of reproducing artworks in other media. The Brilliant Line follows these visual transformations and offers new insight into the special inventiveness and technical virtuosity of Renaissance and Baroque (Early Modern) engravers. The three essays discuss how engraving’s restrictive materials and the physical process of engraving informed its visual language; the context for the spread of particular engraving styles throughout Europe; and the interests, knowledge, and skills that Renaissance viewers applied when viewing and comparing engravings by style or school.

  • Books

Selected Works

Exhibition History

Drawing Closer
Four Hundred Years of Drawing from the RISD Museum
Mar 12, 2022 – Sep 04, 2022

Label copy

In this drawing, the biblical king David rides a lion, surrounded by figures symbolizing various episodes of his life. Maarten van Heemskerck’s remarkable control of the pen is evident in the range of marks, which vividly describe textures and surfaces. The drawing was in preparation for one of six engravings on the theme of patience. The engraver then carefully traced Van Heemskerck’s outlines using a blind stylus-a marking tool-transferring the design to the copperplate.

The Brilliant Line
Following the Early Modern Engraver, 1480-1650
Sep 18, 2009 – Jan 03, 2010

Label copy

Maerten van Heemskerck’s drawing was used to create one of six engravings on the theme of Patience composed in a successive "triumph" or procession format. To transfer the design, the drawing’s contours were incised with a stylus onto a thin ground of wax on a copperplate or onto intermediary tracing paper. Close inspection will reveal incised lines on the contours of figures in the drawing. Here, David, one of the most powerful of Old Testament kings, rides upon a lion, which he has clearly tamed. Behind him Saul, who tried to murder him with a spear, is shown ready to strike. Simei, a captive who cursed David, follows behind, while in the background David is poised to strike down the giant Goliath. David is triumphant over his worldly trials and an exemplar for others.

Design and Description
Renaissance and Baroque Drawings
Jan 27, 2006 – Apr 09, 2006

Label copy

The Haarlem artist Maarten van Heemskerck drew over two hundred designs for prints, of which this drawing is one example. His careful outlines and hatch marks indicate to the engraver the appropriate patterns of shading for the subsequent engraving, reproduced below. The print differs very little from the drawing. To transfer the design, the drawing’s contours were incised with a stylus onto a thinground of wax on a plate or onto intermediary tracing paper. The drawing’s indented contours can be seen in the detail at right.

Treasures on Paper
Drawings and Watercolors from the Permanent Collection
Jun 13, 1989 – Aug 19, 1989
Old Master Drawings
Sep 02, 1983 – Oct 16, 1983
  • More Exhibition History +

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Maerten van Heemskerck (Netherlandish, 1498-1574)
Study for The Triumph of David, 1559
Pen and brown ink over black chalk on laid paper, incised for transfer
Image/sheet: 18.3 x 26 cm (7 3/16 x 10 1/4 inches)
Museum Works of Art Fund 51.095

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