En konge taber sceptret af forfærdelse. Forarbejde til Uglspil-billederne 1840

Andreas Flinch created this tiny drawing titled 'A King Loses his Sceptre in Terror' in the 19th century, as a preparatory study for the Uglspil illustrations. The image is rendered in ink on paper. The controlled, precise lines and hatching suggest the use of a fine-nibbed pen, wielded by a practiced hand. Look closely and you can see how Flinch built up tone and volume with careful cross-hatching, giving depth to the scene. The texture of the paper itself adds a tactile quality, a subtle reminder of the physical act of drawing. Drawings like this were crucial for 19th-century illustration, as they could be easily transferred to woodblocks for printing. The craft of wood engraving demanded skill and precision, translating the artist's vision into a reproducible image for mass consumption. This points to the relationship between art, labor, and the rise of print culture. Flinch’s drawing is not just an artwork; it's a blueprint for production.