Open full image Pin

"Obliterate the Trace of the Pot in the Ashes" [fol. 32 verso / 33 recto]

French early 16th Century

1514

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

"Obliterate the Trace of the Pot in the Ashes" [fol. 32 verso / 33 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 image is packed with strange, swirling figures. On the left, a crowned person sits on a throne holding a globe, while below them a woman in red stands holding a heart. To the right, a naked woman with a snake around her arm balances on a globe, and other odd characters—some winged, some beast-like—climb or sprawl around her. Banners with Latin words like *Temperantia* and *Cupiditas* float above everyone, as if labeling them. The mix of human, animal, and symbolic forms suggests these aren’t real people but ideas—like virtues or vices. The gold highlights and careful inkwork make it feel like a medieval manuscript page, not a painting. Next, check out watercolor, glazing to see how artists built up colors like layers of glass.

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