Open full image Pin

Cumaean Sibyl

Italian 15th Century

1401

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Allegory

Dominant colour

Cumaean Sibyl is a 1401 ink by Italian 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Italian 15th Century
When & what style?: 1401 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This is a black-and-white engraving of a woman sitting on a rock, holding a scroll in one hand. Her hair is wild, and she wears a flowing robe with swirling patterns. Above her head is a banner with the words *"Sibilla Cumana"* in fancy letters, and two winged creatures flank it. The scroll she holds is covered in Latin text, and the lines below her look like more Latin writing. The whole scene feels dramatic, with her intense gaze and the swirling lines around her. This is an example of engraving, a technique that uses sharp tools to carve into metal plates.

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