The Cumaean Sibyl before Tarquin the Proud 1520 - 1571

Niccolò dell'Abate rendered this drawing, "The Cumaean Sibyl before Tarquin the Proud," with pen and brown ink, and brown wash on paper. The artist builds up the composition by layering hatching and cross-hatching to describe the characters' drapery and the drama unfolding. There's a tension between the ephemerality of the sketch and the gravitas of the scene. Tarquin, the last king of Rome, rejects the Sibyl's prophetic books, and she burns them in defiance. Dell'Abate captures this moment with fluid lines, giving it a sense of immediacy and intensity. Looking closely, you can see the artist’s hand at work, building up forms and shadows. It’s a reminder that drawing, at its heart, is an act of labor, of transferring ideas from the mind onto paper. In this case, Dell'Abate’s labor resulted in a powerful depiction of political resistance. We can see the artist has carefully considered his materials and how they help to build up the tension in the artwork.