1612
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Swann's Inn is a 1612 ink by Claes Jansz Visscher, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white scene shows a quiet riverside village. A small house with a thatched roof sits near the water, surrounded by bare trees. In the foreground, a person sits in a boat, bailing water with a bucket. Two figures stand on the bank, one holding a long pole, while other huts and a larger building line the shore. The artist used fine lines to show every detail, from the ripples in the water to the thatch on the roofs. This kind of drawing is called *etching*—a technique where acid eats into a metal plate to create the image. Look up etching next to see how artists like this made prints.
Claes Janszoon Visscher (1587 – 19 June 1652) was a Dutch Golden Age draughtsman, engraver, mapmaker, and publisher.
See the richer artist page
