1480
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Good Shepherd is a 1480 ink by German 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This drawing shows a bearded man in a long robe carrying a sheep on his shoulders. His hair is haloed, and he holds a staff in one hand. The background is just a green-gray ground, and the whole image looks like it was scratched into wood first, then colored in. The sheep looks oddly human-like, with a face almost like a person’s. This style was common in religious art back then to show care and protection. Next, check out how this was made using the technique: woodcut.
This 15th-century German artist carved vivid religious scenes into metal and wood, then hand-painted them in bright, symbolic colors.
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