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"Speak Not Against the Sun" and "Do Not Make Water Facing the Sun" [fol. 39 recto]

French early 16th Century

1514

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

"Speak Not Against the Sun" and "Do Not Make Water Facing the Sun" [fol. 39 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 two people outside a small, pointed-roof hut. One is a knight in bright armor and a blue cloak, holding a sword and a crescent moon. The other wears a long fur-lined robe and a hat, standing with their back to the hut. Above them, a sun with a face and rays stretches across the sky. The grass and trees are simple but detailed, and the ground has scattered shells. The knight’s moon and the sun’s face might hint at old rules about light and shadows. The text titles say things like *"Speak Not Against the Sun"*—this was likely a warning, not a story. Next, check out the Renaissance movement to see how art mixed science and old beliefs.

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