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Saint Franciscus

German 15th Century

1480

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Religious

Dominant colour

Saint Franciscus is a 1480 by German 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: German 15th Century
When & what style?: 1480 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This painting looks like a messy, dark brown blob with no clear shapes. The colors are mostly muddy browns and blacks, with a few faint greenish edges around the frame. The texture looks rough, almost like it was made by smearing paste or dirt. This is actually a paste print, an early kind of printmaking where artists mixed glue, charcoal, and ink to create a rough, textured image. It’s not a painting at all—just a print on paper. If you like this style, check out more about technique: chiaroscuro.