Landscape with Ruins (recto); Head of a Woman and Animals (verso)

The drawing depicts crumbling stone buildings overgrown with vegetation. Two large structures - the ruins of a fortress or castle and joined by a decaying arched bridge over a river - frame the view. More buildings, bathed in sunlight, are visible in the center distance, beyond the arch of the bridge. Two men on horseback, viewed from behind, leave the scene at lower left. Richly rendered in black ink, the design is complex and varied, belying its small size. The play of dark and light, foreground and background, verticality and horizontality, manmade and natural decay are delightful in their contrast. The rhythmic meandering of lines, dots, and dashes combine to create a fantastical depiction. The verso of the sheet features a head of a woman and animals, more summarily drawn.