From "Bizzarie di varie Figure"
1624
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1624
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This sketch shows two strange, mechanical figures. One looks like a tall, skinny robot with a boxy head and long arms ending in claw-like hands. The other is a human-like figure with a metal arm and a giant, spiked wheel attached to its side. Both have a mix of human and machine parts, drawn in simple lines with shading to show texture. The artist focused on odd, invented machines—this was a common trick in the 1600s to imagine what technology might look like. The drawing is made using a technique that etches lines into metal, then presses ink into them. Next, look up technique: etching to see how this process works.
