Beggar with Wooden Leg
1622
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1622
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
A man in rags sits on steps. His right leg ends in a wooden stump. A crutch leans against the wall behind him. This is an etching, not a painting. Lines are cut into a metal plate, then ink fills the grooves. The paper here is old—laid, meaning it has visible ribbed lines from the mold it dried on. The artist used drypoint too. That’s where a needle drags across the plate, leaving a fuzzy edge. See it in the soft shadows around the beggar’s hands? Look up etching online next.
