Francisco de Herrera el Mozo

The Assumption of the Virgin

by Francisco de Herrera el Mozo, circa 1648–1653

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brown wash over black chalk

Dimensions

30.6 × 21.7 cm (12 1/16 × 8 9/16 in)

Notes

Through lively penwork, de Herrera imparted a sense of movement to the substantial figure of the Virgin and the stable, classical pyramid form of the group. The artist's fertile imagination worked quickly; after doing some sketching with black chalk, he applied free-flowing, crisscrossing, tangled threads of ink ranging from the dark squiggles of the Virgin's drapery to the light tracings on the angels' robes below. The fluent washes add drama to the composition.

Location

J. Paul Getty Museum

17th century