1502
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
The Entombment with Three Birds is a 1502 ink by Giovanni Antonio da Brescia, a Renaissance work, depicting Engraving Proces, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows Jesus’s body being lowered into a tomb. Three small birds sit on the edge of the dark cave. The scene feels quiet and still, like a frozen moment. The artist carved this image onto a metal plate. He used tiny lines, called cross-hatching, to shade the shadows. The birds add a strange, quiet detail—most tomb scenes don’t have them. Look up chiaroscuro next. It’s a technique that uses sharp light and dark to show shape.
Giovanni Antonio da Brescia was an Italian engraver of northern Italy, active in the approximate period 1490–1519, during the Italian Renaissance.
See the richer artist pageYour cart is empty
Explore artworks →
