1550
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
View of the Ponte Quattro Capi and the Island of the Tiber is a 1550 ink by Hieronymus Cock, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white print shows a river with a stone bridge carrying people and carts. On the far side, a cluster of old buildings—some with towers, others with arched windows—hug the water’s edge. The riverbank is rocky, with a few scattered bushes and tiny figures walking or tending to small boats. The bridge’s name is written in Latin at the top, hinting this is a real place. The artist used fine lines to show texture, like the rough water and crumbling stone. Next, check out technique: etching to see how prints like this were made.
Hieronymus Cock, or Hieronymus Wellens de Cock, (1518 – 3 October 1570) was a Flemish painter and etcher as well as a publisher and distributor of prints.
See the richer artist page
