William Louis, Count of Nassau
1616
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1616
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
William Louis, Count of Nassau is a 1616 ink by Boëtius Adams Bolswert, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This is a black-and-white portrait of a man in heavy armor. He wears a ruffled collar, a chainmail shirt over a padded jacket, and a sword belt. His beard is thick, and he holds a helmet with a feathered top under his arm. The background is plain, but the armor details are sharp and precise. The artist used fine lines to show texture, like the metal studs on his chestplate. This is an engraving, not a painting, so every line was etched into a metal plate. Next, look up engraving to see how artists create detailed images this way.
Boetius à Bolswert (also Boetius Adamsz Bolswert, Bodius; c. 1585, – late 1633) was a Flemish engraver of Friesland origin. In his time the paintings of Peter Paul Rubens called forth new endeavours by engravers to…
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