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"Always Have the Bedclothes Folded up" [fol. 41 recto]

French early 16th Century

1514

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

"Always Have the Bedclothes Folded up" [fol. 41 recto] is a 1514 ink by French early 16th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: French early 16th Century
When & what style?: 1514 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This drawing shows a man in fancy robes sitting on a throne. Two kids stand near him—one holds a mirror, the other a scroll. The man points at a sign listing words like *Love* and *Hate*. Another figure leans on a staff, holding a sign with *Hope* and *Fear*. The words and symbols hint at deeper meanings, not just a simple scene. This style mixes real people with ideas, a common trick in old art. Look up Renaissance next to see more examples of this kind of symbolic art.

About the artist

Artist

French early 16th Century

A French draftsman from the early 1500s filled sheets of laid paper with tiny, sharp-tongued instructions—ink sketches paired with warnings like “Do Not Eat Your Heart Out” or “Feed Not Things That Have Sharp Claws.”…

See the richer artist page