John Sparrow, Mystic
1659
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1659
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
John Sparrow, Mystic is a 1659 ink by David Loggan, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This is a black-and-white engraving of a man in a dark coat and white collar, sitting with one hand resting on a stack of books. Behind him, a shield with strange symbols hangs on the wall. To the right, there’s a diagram of a human eye and some musical notes, plus a small model of a head with a gear inside. The text below his name reads *"Amator V.S. Theosophiae"*—whatever that means. The crossed-out eye diagram hints at early science mixed with mysticism. The gear inside the head suggests ideas about how the mind or body works, maybe even before modern medicine. Next, check out how this was made with engraving.
David Loggan (1634–1692) was an artist, born in Gdańsk.
See the richer artist page
