Johannes van Doetechum the Elder
1557
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Man Sitting on an Auricular Mask, Supporting a Strapwork Frame on his Shoulders is a 1557 ink by Johannes van Doetechum the Elder, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image is packed with strange, twisted figures tangled together. In the center, a muscular man sits on a mask shaped like an ear, holding up a frame with ornate scrolls. Around him, small people climb, stretch, and twist in impossible ways—some look like they’re pulling on ropes, others seem to be floating or tangled in knots. The whole scene feels chaotic, like a dream where everything is stretched and mixed up. The mask he’s sitting on looks like it’s part of a larger face, maybe a joke about how we hear things differently. The artist used sharp lines to make everything look busy and alive, almost like the figures are moving. If this style of printing intrigues you, look up etching.
Joannes van Doetecum the Elder (1530 – 1605) was a Dutch engraver-cartographer known for his etched works after genre scenes by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and maps of various cities in the Netherlands.
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