Design for a sepulchral monument with a portrait bust; verso: Design for a reliquary (?) 1686 - 1724

Pieter Verbruggen the Younger rendered this design for a sepulchral monument with pen and brown ink, and brush with gray wash, over a red chalk sketch. At first glance, the eye is drawn to the contrast between the detailed, shaded monument and the loosely sketched red background. The monument is defined by a play of light and shadow, creating a sense of depth and volume. Consider the semiotic interplay at work here: the monument, a signifier of death and memory, is constructed with deliberate architectural precision. Notice how the monument's various tiers and sculptural elements ascend. This verticality implies a reaching towards the heavens, a visual metaphor for spiritual transcendence. The use of gray wash, combined with the stark lines of the pen, gives the monument a somber, almost ghostly presence. The red chalk, visible beneath the ink, infuses the design with an undercurrent of earthly passion, complicating any straightforward reading of death as solely a moment of solemnity. Ultimately, the artwork destabilizes the traditional interpretation of death by combining formal rigor with emotive color, opening up multiple possibilities for interpretation.