1401
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Playing Card is a 1401 ink by German 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows a simple, blocky figure carved into wood and colored in browns and blacks. The person is holding a small, round object with dots—maybe a hat or a ball—and wearing a long robe with straight lines down the front. Their face is drawn with big, bold lines for eyes and mouth, looking a little stern. The rough, hand-drawn look comes from being a woodcut, where the artist carved shapes into wood and then rubbed ink over it. This style was common in the 1400s, and this piece feels like a quick, symbolic sketch rather than a detailed portrait. Next, check out how woodcut works as a printing technique.
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 pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
![Studies for Six Figures (sheet from a model book) [recto]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/4837429e0755bc3f/thumb.webp)
