1616
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Float of the Sun is a 1616 ink by French 17th Century, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows a chaotic, crowded scene with lots of small figures. At the center, a group of people stands on a floating platform, some holding up a giant globe with a face carved into it. Below, horses and riders splash through water, while above, more figures climb or float near the globe. The lines are scratchy and busy, full of movement. The globe’s face looks surprised, almost like it’s being forced up from the water. This kind of wild, symbolic scene was common in the Baroque period, where artists packed images with meaning. Next, check out the technique: etching to see how artists like this made their marks.
Seventeenth-century French printmakers turned ink into story. Their tools were burin and acid, paper their stage. Look at the Beggar Woman with Rosary (1622), etched on laid paper, her hands folded around faith, or The…
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