Artwork
"I Am Holding a Wolf by the Ears" (verso)
"I Am Holding a Wolf by the Ears" (verso) is an ink drawing by the Renaissance artist French early 16th Century. It dates from 1514 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The drawing 'I Am Holding a Wolf by the Ears' depicts a person wrestling with a wolf on a simple background.
About this work
Overview
The drawing 'I Am Holding a Wolf by the Ears' depicts a person wrestling with a wolf on a simple background. Created with pen and ink on laid paper, it showcases the artist's skill with line work and shading.
Subject & Meaning
The scene shows a barefoot person grasping a wolf around the neck, while the wolf's paws grip the person's legs. The title suggests a symbolic or metaphorical interpretation, potentially referencing a challenging or precarious situation.
Technique & Style
The drawing features dark, precise lines and gold highlights, achieved through the use of brown and black ink and gold on laid paper. The artist's use of layered lines creates shading and depth, exemplifying a technique known as cross-hatching.
Context
The work is characteristic of early 16th-century drawing techniques, where ink and gold on paper were commonly used to create visually striking images.
Artist & collection
Artist
A French draftsman from the early 1500s filled sheets of laid paper with tiny, sharp-tongued instructions—ink sketches paired with warnings like “Do Not Eat Your Heart Out” or “Feed Not Things That Have Sharp Claws.”…
!["Do Not Eat Your Heart Out" [fol. 22 recto], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--do-not-eat-your-heart-out-fol-22-recto--003887c9850175b9-w320.webp)
"Do Not Eat Your Heart Out" [fol. 22 recto]![The Calumny of Apelles [fol. 6 recto], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--the-calumny-of-apelles-fol-6-recto--037fde9ac8dbd27b-w320.webp)
The Calumny of Apelles [fol. 6 recto]!["Do Not Make Water on Clippings from Nails or Hair" [fol. 30 recto], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--do-not-make-water-on-clippings-from-nails-or-hair-fol-30-rec--03ca31c36e5a66b9-w320.webp)
"Do Not Make Water on Clippings from Nails or Hair" [fol. 30 recto]!["You Are Tying a Dolphin by the Tail" [fol. 17 recto], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--you-are-tying-a-dolphin-by-the-tail-fol-17-recto--0abe83abfb5ccd1d-w320.webp)
"You Are Tying a Dolphin by the Tail" [fol. 17 recto]!["Feed Not Things That Have Sharp Claws" [fol. 38 recto], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--feed-not-things-that-have-sharp-claws-fol-38-recto--1f28115410528631-w320.webp)
"Feed Not Things That Have Sharp Claws" [fol. 38 recto]![A Courtier Standing Between Covetousness and Dissimulation [fol. 14 recto], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--a-courtier-standing-between-covetousness-and-dissimulation-f--2578f4fe9846edc2-w320.webp)
A Courtier Standing Between Covetousness and Dissimulation [fol. 14 recto]![A Fool Feeding Flowers to Swine [fol. 42 recto], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--a-fool-feeding-flowers-to-swine-fol-42-recto--27579a7c495e1682-w320.webp)
A Fool Feeding Flowers to Swine [fol. 42 recto]!["You Are Shooting at Heaven" [fol. 9 recto], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--you-are-shooting-at-heaven-fol-9-recto--28e4ef6e8d8a696d-w320.webp)
"You Are Shooting at Heaven" [fol. 9 recto]
![An Ape in Purple with a Sick Man, a Good Man, and a Miser [fol. 36 verso], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--an-ape-in-purple-with-a-sick-man-a-good-man-and-a-miser-fol--f90c3f2db638efb5-w320.webp)
