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"Do Not Eat Your Heart Out" [fol. 22 recto]

French early 16th Century

1514

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

"Do Not Eat Your Heart Out" [fol. 22 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 five odd-looking figures standing close together. One man in a long robe holds a bag and looks worried. The others wear silly hats and costumes—one has a crown with horns, another a tall hat with a flask on top. A red heart sits on a chain around one figure’s neck. Banners with words like *Solicitudo* and *Curialis* hang above them. The heart on the chain is the weirdest part—it’s bright red and looks like it’s being offered or shown off. The whole scene feels like a joke or a lesson dressed up in costumes. Next, check out how artists used watercolor in the Renaissance.