1582
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Design for a Pendant with a Sea-Monster Carrying Neptune on an Urn Flanked by a River-God with an Oar is a 1582 ink by Adriaen Collaert, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows a wild scene: a sea monster with a scaly body and sharp teeth carries an urn on its back. On the urn sits a muscular man with a trident—Neptune, the sea god—pointing upward. To the side, a horned river god holds an oar. Above them, two snakes coil around a fancy crown-like shape. The artist packed a lot into small details, like the tiny waves under the monster or the river god’s curled horns. This kind of mix of myth and decoration was common in Renaissance art. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like Collaert carved these sharp lines into metal.
Adriaen Collaert (1560–1618) was a Flemish artist, born in Antwerp.
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