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Carrack, Heading to the Right

Italian 15th Century

1490

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Marine

Dominant colour

Carrack, Heading to the Right is a 1490 ink by Italian 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Italian 15th Century
When & what style?: 1490 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This drawing shows a large ship with three tall masts, sailing toward the right. The hull is rounded and detailed with planks, while the sails are stretched tight. A small crew is visible on deck, and the waves below are drawn in quick, wavy lines. The ship’s design looks like it’s meant for long voyages, with extra space below deck. This style of ship was used for trade and exploration during the Renaissance. Want to know more? Try looking up engraving.

About the artist

Artist

Italian 15th Century

This anonymous Italian engraver from the 1490s carved images that could be peeled apart like paper dolls—each knot in the "First Knot" print was cut from a single sheet so you could lift the loops right off the page.

See the richer artist page