Bust of a Soldier

In his spare time, the renowned painter Adriaen van der Werff was also a decent sculptor. This pawn or bishop is one of the few surviving pieces from a chess set that he carved for his own use from ebony and boxwood. The roguish, laughing soldier reveals a light-hearted and mocking side to this otherwise serious painter of history scenes.

Bust of a Soldier

In his spare time, the renowned painter Adriaen van der Werff was also a decent sculptor. This pawn or bishop is one of the few surviving pieces from a chess set that he carved for his own use from ebony and boxwood. The roguish, laughing soldier reveals a light-hearted and mocking side to this otherwise serious painter of history scenes.