Sir Francis Bacon
1621
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1621
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Sir Francis Bacon is a 1621 ink by Simon van de Passe, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This is a black-and-white portrait of a serious-looking man in old-fashioned clothes. He wears a wide-brimmed hat, a ruffled collar, and a dark robe. His hands rest on a globe, and above his head is a coat of arms with two small figures. The edges of the picture are decorated with swirling lines and text. The text at the bottom names the man and gives his death year—1626—at age 66. The artist used fine lines to create shadows and detail, which makes the image look three-dimensional. Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this one carved images into metal plates.
