53 Frederick de Wit - Lumen Picturae.. - Blue Congolese Peacock Bird - Pavo

Antique engraving originates from "Lumen Picturae: A Classical Drawing Manual" by Frederick de Wit. The work has a watermark on the reverse. "Lumen Picturae..." was first published in Amsterdam between 1660 and 1675, "Lumen Picturae" is a lavishly illustrated guide to classical figurative drawing as taught in the Dutch Golden Age. It is an excellent introduction to 17th Century aesthetics, as well as a useful guide for any artist to learn the basic principles of composition. Each page provides a step-by-step tutorial to drawing the human figure (breaking it down into heads, hands, feet, anatomy, and then reassembling them into full figures), as well as animal forms (quadrupeds, birds, and mythological creatures). Because this manual is presented without any words beyond the introduction, "Lumen Picturae" evokes a classical learning style based in the timeless tradition of copying the great masters of yesteryear. 

Artist of Maker

Frederick de Wit

Medium

Engraving

Date

1660-1705