Ascending Ornament
1535
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1535
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This print is all swirling lines and leaves. Tiny faces peek out from the vines. The design looks like a tree with two big branches, but it’s really just shapes tangled together. The whole thing is drawn in black on a light background. The artist used a sharp tool to scratch into metal. That’s how the lines got so crisp. The print was made a long time after the drawing was done. Look up etching to see how this kind of print works.
