Child with Three Skulls
1529
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1529
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
A boy holds three small skulls in his hands. He looks right at us, dead serious. The skulls are tiny but clear. His face is plain, no fancy clothes. This is an engraving made in 1529. Engravings cut lines into metal. Ink fills the lines, then presses onto paper. Each print looks the same. That was new back then. Check out another engraving by Barthel Beham at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
