Artwork
Print from Drawing Book
Print from Drawing Book is an ink print by the Baroque artist Luca Ciamberlano. It dates from 1615 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Luca Ciamberlano’s print, dated around 1615, belongs to the early‑17th‑century tradition of engraving. Executed on a copper plate, the work presents a compact composition in which four hands cooperate to raise a bulky, irregular block. The image captures a moment of collective physical exertion, rendered with a focus on the tactile qualities of skin and stone.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts four laboring hands, their knuckles pronounced and nails short, straining to shift a massive, uneven slab. By emphasizing the strain of the muscles and the weight of the object, the engraving reflects themes of human effort and cooperation, inviting viewers to contemplate the dignity of manual work in a period when such tasks were central to daily life.
Technique & Style
Ciamberlano employs fine, parallel hatching to model light and shadow, a hallmark of early modern printmaking. The dense cross‑hatching creates deep tonal contrasts that give the hands a three‑dimensional solidity, while the lighter, more spaced lines suggest the texture of the stone. This meticulous line work demonstrates the artist’s skill in generating volume with a single engraving tool.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1615, the print appears in a drawing book that circulated among artists and collectors in Italy. Though specific ownership records are scarce, the work exemplifies Ciamberlano’s output during a prolific period when engravers supplied illustrative material for workshops and private study, contributing to the spread of technical knowledge about drawing and rendering.
Artist & collection
