Artwork

Beggar with Wooden Leg

Beggar with Wooden Leg, by French 17th Century, ink, 1622
Beggar with Wooden Leg, by French 17th Century, ink, 1622

Beggar with Wooden Leg is an ink print by the Baroque artist French 17th Century. It dates from 1622 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Beggar with Wooden Leg is an etching on laid paper, a print created using a metal plate with cut lines that hold ink.

Subject & Meaning

The print depicts a man in tattered clothing seated on steps, his right leg amputated and replaced with a wooden stump, with a crutch leaning against the wall behind him.

Technique & Style

The artist employed etching and drypoint techniques; the latter is evident in the soft, fuzzy shadows around the beggar's hands, achieved by dragging a needle across the plate.

Artist & collection

Portrait of French 17th Century

Artist

French 17th Century

Seventeenth-century French printmakers turned ink into story. Their tools were burin and acid, paper their stage. Look at the Beggar Woman with Rosary (1622), etched on laid paper, her hands folded around faith, or The…

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: National Gallery of Art open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.