1450
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Descent of the Holy Ghost is a 1450 ink by German 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This image shows a group of people gathered under a tree with a glowing light above them. The figures are simple, flat shapes with bold outlines, dressed in flowing robes. Around the scene, there’s a border of repeating sunburst shapes and zigzag patterns in earthy colors like tan, green, and brown. The bright light above the group looks like a dove, which might be a key detail. The colors are muted but pop against the white background, giving it a hand-painted feel. Next, look up woodcut to see how this printmaking technique works.
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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