Artwork
Ergasto and Corisca
Ergasto and Corisca is an ink drawing by the Baroque artist Johann Wilhelm Baur. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Johann Wilhelm Baur, a German artist active in the early‑17th century, produced the drawing *Ergasto and Corisca* in 1640. Executed with pen and brown ink, enriched by a brown wash on laid paper, the work measures a modest size typical of his intimate studies. It captures a moment from the pastoral drama *Il pastor fido*, focusing on the interaction between the two titular figures.
Subject & Meaning
The composition illustrates a scene involving Ergasto and the shepherdess Corisca, characters drawn from the Italian tragicomedy *Il pastor fido*.
The composition illustrates a scene involving Ergasto and the shepherdess Corisca, characters drawn from the Italian tragicomedy *Il pastor fido*. Baur emphasizes the emotional tension between them, highlighting themes of desire and deception that drive the narrative. The drawing isolates the figures from any elaborate setting, directing attention to their gestures and expressions as the core of the story.
Technique & Style
Baur employs fine pen work to delineate line and contour, while a subtle brown wash adds tonal depth and atmosphere. The use of laid paper, with its visible ribbed texture, contributes a tactile quality that complements the delicate shading. This combination of line and wash reflects the artist’s background in engraving and miniature painting, where precision and controlled tonal variation are paramount.
History & Provenance
Created in 1640, the drawing belongs to a period when Baur was producing a series of illustrations for Ovid’s *Metamorphoses*, though this particular piece derives from a different literary source. The work has remained in private collections before entering a museum holding of 17th‑century German drawings, where it is catalogued among Baur’s narrative studies.
Context
Baur’s career unfolded in a milieu that valued the translation of literary texts into visual form. His engagement with both classical mythology and contemporary drama reflects the broader Baroque interest in dramatizing emotion and narrative. *Ergasto and Corisca* thus exemplifies how artists of the period used drawing to explore literary subjects beyond the more common mythological cycles.
Artist & collection
Artist
Johann Wilhelm Baur, Joan Guiliam Bouwer, or Bauer (Strasbourg, 31 May 1607 - Vienna, 1 January 1640) was a German engraver, etcher and miniature painter. He is famous for a series of illustrations of Ovid's Metamorphoses.
