Museum collection · National Gallery of Art · 138652

Kneeling Youth with Bound Hands

Leonhard Kern, second quarter 17th century

The sculpture depicts a nude male figure crouching with his knees bent and hands behind him. His head is turned to the left with a slightly pained or strained expression. The sculpture is made of a dark material, likely bronze, giving it a polished, dark brown color with subtle variations that accentuate the muscular details of the figure. The material reflects light, highlighting the contours and features of the man's body. The figure rests on a rectangular, stepped base that is also of the same brown material. The proportions are realistic, and the details such as the curly hair and defined musculature add a lifelike quality to the sculpture.

National Gallery of Art · National Gallery of Art, Washington · Gift of Robert H. Smith/Robert H. Smith Collection · CC0 · Public domain

Artist: Leonhard Kern
Date: second quarter 17th century
Medium: fruitwood, possibly pear
Dimensions: height (figure only): 24.5 cm (9 5/8 in.)
Era: Museum collection

Why it matters

Kneeling Youth with Bound Hands, dated second quarter 17th century, is catalogued by National Gallery of Art as a work in fruitwood, possibly pear. The museum attributes the work to Leonhard Kern. The recorded dimensions are height (figure only): 24.5 cm (9 5/8 in.). This factual page is generated from the museum catalogue and links directly to its source record.

National Gallery of Art collection record