1401
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Persian Sibyl is a 1401 ink by Italian 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a robed woman sitting on a rock, holding a long scroll in one hand and pointing upward with the other. She wears a crown and heavy jewelry, and behind her is a mix of plants and a faint landscape. The image is black and white, with sharp lines and lots of small cross-hatching for shading. The text around her is in Latin, likely a prophecy or message—this was common in Renaissance art for religious or historical figures. The way her body twists and the dramatic gesture suggest she’s delivering an important warning or vision. Look up engraving to see how artists like this used metal plates and sharp tools to create detailed prints.
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.
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