Artwork
Coat of Arms with a Cock
Coat of Arms with a Cock is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Sebald Beham. It dates from 1543 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
The artist used lines to create shadows and texture, making the feathers and leaves look almost real.
This black-and-white print shows two roosters standing on a shield with a crown on top. Around them are fancy scrolls, leaves, and a banner with letters. The roosters look alert, and the whole scene is packed into a tight, detailed frame.
The artist used lines to create shadows and texture, making the feathers and leaves look almost real. This style was common in prints back then. The print was made in 1543, and the artist signed it with a small mark.
Next, look up engraving to see how artists like this one carved their designs into metal.
Overview
Sebald Beham’s 1543 engraving titled Coat of Arms with a Cock presents a compact, meticulously rendered composition. Two alert roosters perch on a shield crowned at its apex, surrounded by ornamental scrollwork, foliage, and a banner bearing lettering. The entire scene is confined within a tightly drawn frame, emphasizing the artist’s penchant for dense, miniature detail.
Subject & Meaning
The central motif of two roosters, symbols of vigilance and heraldic pride, occupies a shield traditionally associated with familial or civic identity. The surrounding decorative elements, including scrolls and foliage, enhance the emblematic function of the piece, suggesting it may have served as a personalized insignia or a decorative emblem for a patron’s household.
Technique & Style
Beham employed fine incised lines to model the texture of feathers, leaves, and metalwork, creating subtle gradations of light and shadow. This line work, characteristic of mid‑16th‑century German engraving, reflects the influence of Albrecht Dürer’s precision while maintaining the “Little Masters” emphasis on intricate, small‑scale execution.
History & Provenance
Born in Nuremberg and later active in Frankfurt, Beham was a prolific printmaker, producing roughly 252 engravings alongside numerous etchings and woodcuts. Coat of Arms with a Cock bears his modest signature mark, confirming authorship. The work exemplifies the output of his workshop during a period when detailed, portable prints were in high demand among collectors.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Sebald Beham (1500–1550) was a German painter and printmaker, mainly known for his very small engravings.
