3 prints: Salome receiving the head of St. John the Baptist / A Group of Peasants and Dogs / A Procession

Adam Elsheimer

Summary

A reproduction produced by the Vasari Society of three drawings by Adam Elsheimer, presented on the same sheet. The top drawing is picked out in white on a dark background, creating a sense of drama. It shows a figure holding the decapitated head of St. John the Baptist, standing with one foot of top of the body. Another figure is holding out a platter for the head to be placed on, and some other figures are looking on. A pillar is highlighted behind the group. The middle drawing is of a group of people. There are around seven adults, some women holding babies. On the left of the group are a child and a dog, and on the right are two more children and a dog. There is some shading, or perhaps leaves of a tree, in the top left corner. The bottom drawing shows a large group of people in a procession. The crowd is densely packed and the figures are small, so not much detail is visible. There are two figures on horseback amidst the crowd. Text from the accompanying booklet produced by the Vasari Society: "17, 18, 19. ADAM ELSHEIMER (b. 1578; d. 1610) 17. SALOME RECEIVING THE HEAD OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST 18. A GROUP OF PEASANTS AND DOGS 19. A PROCESSION Collection of the Duke of Devonshire, K.G., Chatsworth. From the Flinck Collection. (17) Drawn in Indian ink on a dark grey prepared ground and heightened with white, 7.7 x 6.7 cm. (3 x 2 5/8 in.). (18) Pen and bistre, 6.7 x 12.4 cm. (2 5/8 x 4 7/8 in.). (19) Pen and bistre, 7.8 x 14.5 cm. (3 1/16 x 5 3/4 in.). All these are fine examples of Elsheimer's skill in drawing figures on a small scale. C. D."