The Severe Father

Heinrich Aldegrever

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of an interior scene with two figures. One figure is depicted as an older, muscular person in a bed, gripping the other by the hair. The second figure is clothed and partly on the ground, looking shocked. The bed is elaborately furnished with a large pillow and a draped canopy. There is a cartouche at the top with Latin text and a signature and date at the bottom left indicating the drawing was made in 1553. The style and technique suggest a highly detailed, Renaissance-inspired drawing with strong contrasts and detailed line work.