1563
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Ornament is a 1563 ink by Theodor de Bry, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a young woman in fancy dress holding a fan. Her outfit is stiff with lace and silk ribbons. The fine lines make the fabric look real. The artist carved tiny lines close together to shade the background. This trick is called cross-hatching. It gives depth without color. Try looking up engraving to see how artists cut designs into metal plates.
Theodor de Bry (also Theodorus de Bry; 1528 – 27 March 1598) was a Walloon engraver, goldsmith, editor and publisher, famous for his depictions of early European expeditions to the Americas.
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