The Lamentation - Hercules Segers

Clarence Buckingham Collection

"The Lamentation" by Hercules Segers (c. 1607) Etching in brown-black on ivory laid paper.

Commentary

"The Lamentation" by Hercules Segers (c. 1607) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. T hemes to notice include soft-ground etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Hercules Segers is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Hercules Segers Dutch, 1589/90-1633/40. The work is cataloged within a Holland cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as soft-ground etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Etching in brown-black on ivory laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image/sheet, trimmed within platemark: 16.3 × 15.6 cm (6 7/16 × 6 3/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include soft-ground etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/77123

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data