Hendrick Goltzius: The artist's right hand (1588)

(Teylers Museum, Haarlem, The Netherlands)

When Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617) was about a year old, he fell into a fire and burned both his hands. His right hand was permanently damaged and he was never able to fully open it. Goltzius was right-handed but was still able to use his mutilated hand for his works. The discrepancy between his own mutilated right hand and the technical perfection of his work makes this drawing very intriguing. Engraving from 1588.