William Lilly

About this work

This is a black-and-white portrait of a man with curly hair and a mustache. He’s wearing a dark, buttoned coat and sits with one hand resting on a table. Around him, small sketches of animals, symbols, and objects—like a lion, scales, and a scorpion—fill the background. The tiny drawings look like they’re part of an astrology chart or zodiac symbols. The artist used fine lines to create shading, which makes the face pop. Next, check out how engraving works to see how artists like this made detailed prints.