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Assembly of Four Kings, in the foreground Four Men

Leonhard Beck

1515

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Assembly of Four Kings, in the foreground Four Men is a 1515 ink by Leonhard Beck, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Leonhard Beck
When & what style?: 1515 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This woodcut shows four kings standing in a room with tall windows. In the front, four men in loose robes hold up the kings’ heavy crowns. The kings wear fancy robes and crowns, looking down at the men below. The lines are sharp and the scene feels crowded, with lots of swirling fabric and busy details. The artist used a woodcut technique, where the image is carved into wood and then printed. This made the picture look detailed but also a bit rough around the edges. Next, check out the technique: woodcut to see how artists created prints like this.

About the artist

Artist

Leonhard Beck

Leonhard Beck (c. 1480 – 1542) was a painter and woodcuts designer in Augsburg, Germany. He was the son of Georg Beck, a miniaturist who was active in Augsburg c. 1490–1512/15. Leonhard collaborated with his father on…

See the richer artist page