1598
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Vanitas, Vanitatum et Omnia Vanitas is a 1598 ink by Jan Pietersz Saenredam, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
A woman sits on the floor, dressed in flowing robes with one bare foot visible. She holds a small bowl in one hand and a bird in the other, while a pitcher and a vase sit nearby. Her hair is styled loosely, and she looks down at the bird with a calm expression. This is an engraving, not a painting—notice the fine lines and shading that create depth. The artist used tiny parallel lines to build up shadows, which is called cross-hatching. Next, look up cross-hatching to see how artists like this one made prints look almost like paintings.
Jan Pieterszoon (abbr. Pietersz.) Saenredam (c. 1565 – 6 April 1607) was a Dutch Northern Mannerist painter, printmaker in engraving, and cartographer, and father of the painter of church interiors, Pieter Jansz…
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