Five Soldiers and a Turk on Horseback

Albrecht Dürer

1496

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

northern_renaissance Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

About this work

This sketch shows five men in armor and one man on horseback. The soldiers hold spears and look tense. The man on horseback wears a turban and carries a bow. Trees and a few plants fill the background, but the focus is on the group. Notice how the artist used fine lines to build up shadows and shapes. This isn’t paint—it’s carved into a metal plate, then pressed onto paper. Next, check out how engraving works to create these detailed images.