1485
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Madonna with the Rosary is a 1485 ink by German 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image is packed with tiny scenes inside circles and borders. In the center, a woman in red holds a child while rosary beads dangle nearby. Around her, small round frames show more figures—some praying, others reading, all tangled in vines and flowers. The colors are flat but bright: reds, greens, and yellows stand out against a tan background. The artist used a woodcut technique, carving the design into wood before coloring it by hand. That’s why the lines are sharp and the colors look slightly uneven. Next, look up technique: woodcut to see how this method worked.
This 15th-century German artist carved vivid religious scenes into metal and wood, then hand-painted them in bright, symbolic colors.
See the richer artist page
![Studies for Six Figures (sheet from a model book) [recto]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/4837429e0755bc3f/thumb.webp)
