1552
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Diligence is a 1552 by Heinrich Aldegrever, a Northern Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This etching shows a strange, tangled figure holding a stick and staring at a small, serious-looking boy. The boy sits on a rock, clutching a scroll, while a shield with a bird and a wreath floats nearby. The background has a few plants and a small box with the letters "TG" and the year "1552." The boy and the messy figure might stand for different ideas—like hard work and laziness—though the artist never explains it directly. The year "1552" is carved into the box, which is a clue it’s from that time. Next, look up Renaissance to see how artists used symbols like these to tell stories.
Heinrich Aldegrever or Aldegraf was a German painter and engraver. He was one of the "Little Masters", the group of German artists making small old master prints in the generation after Albrecht Dürer.
See the richer artist page
