1550
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
View of Unidentified Ruins is a 1550 ink by Hieronymus Cock, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a crumbling stone archway half-buried in grass and vines. The walls are cracked, with moss creeping up the sides. A small dome sits behind the arch, and a few trees lean in around it. The ground is uneven, with patches of water and scattered rocks. The artist used lines to show depth and texture, making the ruins look solid even though they’re falling apart. The title hints this place isn’t real—just a made-up scene. Check out the technique: etching to see how artists like this carved images into metal.
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.
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