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Playing Cards

Italian 15th Century

1470

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Playing Cards is a 1470 ink by Italian 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Italian 15th Century
When & what style?: 1470 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

You're looking at a woodcut print called "Playing Cards". It's divided into three panels, each showing a man on horseback. The men are dressed in Renaissance-style clothing and are holding objects like a shield and a goblet. The horses are also decorated with frilly saddles and bridles. The background of the print is plain, which makes the details of the men and horses stand out. The woodcut technique used to create this print gives it a rough, textured look. You can see the lines and marks made by the artist's tools. It's interesting to think about how the artist used this technique to create such detailed and intricate designs. If you want to learn more about this style of art, you should check out the Renaissance movement.

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