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"Do Not Sit on the Grain Measure" [fol. 12 recto]

French early 16th Century

1514

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

"Do Not Sit on the Grain Measure" [fol. 12 recto] is a 1514 ink by French early 16th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: French early 16th Century
When & what style?: 1514 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This drawing shows three men in a simple scene. One sits inside a wooden box labeled *Industria*, holding a bag of grain and a measuring tool. Outside, another man labeled *Cras* leans on a pole with a banner, while a third, labeled *Tempus*, stands with his hand out, pointing. The background has a tiled roof and Latin words at the top. The labels hint at a lesson about time and work—*Tempus* (Time) seems to be warning the other two. The artist used fine lines to build up shadows, giving the figures depth. Next, check out cross-hatching to see how this shading trick works.

About the artist

Artist

French early 16th Century

A French draftsman from the early 1500s filled sheets of laid paper with tiny, sharp-tongued instructions—ink sketches paired with warnings like “Do Not Eat Your Heart Out” or “Feed Not Things That Have Sharp Claws.”…

See the richer artist page