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Title Page for a Missal, with Satyr and Putti Border [verso]

Urs Graf I

1511

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Title Page for a Missal, with Satyr and Putti Border [verso] is a 1511 ink by Urs Graf I, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Urs Graf I
When & what style?: 1511 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This page looks like an old book cover with bright colors and strange shapes. At the top, there’s fancy red writing in a language you don’t recognize. On the sides, there are small figures—some look like chubby babies with wings, and others have goat legs or horns. In the middle, a group of people in armor hold a blue shield with a red cross on it. The writing is in Latin, which was used in old religious books. The mix of human and half-animal figures might be a way to make the page look more interesting or important. If you like this style, look up woodcut to see how artists carved images into wood blocks long before photography.