Fortune Distributing her Gifts

Jan Muller, after Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlem

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of multiple nude figures surrounding a central figure on a pedestal. The figures are muscular and contorted in various poses. In the center, a figure stands raised on the pedestal, reaching an arm upwards. The other figures are engaged in dramatic gestures, some pointing towards the central figure while others avert their gaze or appear in action or struggle. Strong contrasts between light and shadow highlight the muscularity and intensity of each figure's form. The scene conveys an atmosphere of a grand narrative or mythological theme.