Arkivism
Man sleeping on a mat on the ground
Public domain

Man sleeping on a mat on the ground

Esaias Boursse · 1662 · brush; paper; metaalstift; ink

From the collection of Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

A man lies sleeping on the ground. He lies with his knees drawn up on a wide mat (padura). Around his lower body he wears a hip cloth (veshti, lungi) reaching over the knees. His upper body and arms are uncovered. A hole is drawn in the visible earlobe. The man is likely a worker from South India employed in Colombo. To the right on the sheet – below the lines of the mat and the ground – a faint sketch of a woman's upper body is visible. Sheet 90 from a sketchbook with 117 sheets.

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam’s own description
Credit lineMan sleeping on a mat on the ground. 1662. Esaias Boursse. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Public domain.

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