1518
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
The Skeletons is a 1518 ink by Marco Dente, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a chaotic crowd of half-naked figures in a dark, rocky space. Some stand tall, others crouch or lie on the ground. A full skeleton holds a book open, while a winged figure hovers above, pointing downward. The scene is full of motion—arms reach out, faces twist in fear or anger, and bones litter the foreground. The mix of living bodies and skeletons suggests a warning about death’s inevitability. The artist used sharp lines and shadows to create drama, making the figures feel urgent and real. Want to see more? Check out engraving to learn how artists like Dente carved these precise lines.
Marco Dente da Ravenna (1493–1527), usually just called Marco Dente, was an Italian engraver born in Ravenna in the latter part of the 15th Century.
See the richer artist page
