Madonna and Child
1516
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1516
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Madonna and Child is a 1516 ink by Hans Baldung Grien, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a woman in a long robe holding a small child, both floating above a rocky ground. Clouds swirl around them, and tiny angels peek from the edges. A man kneels below, holding an open book, while a small portrait of another face sits on a ledge to the right. The artist used sharp lines to create deep shadows and textures, like the folds in the woman’s dress or the rough clouds. This was a common way to print many copies of the same image back then. Next, look up woodcut to see how this technique works.
