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Saint Nicolas of Myra

Italian 15th Century

1474

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance Religious

Dominant colour

Saint Nicolas of Myra is a 1474 ink by Italian 15th Century, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Italian 15th Century
When & what style?: 1474 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This image shows a tall, serious-looking figure in a long robe, standing with one arm raised. The figure wears a crown and holds a round object in their other hand. To the left, two smaller figures kneel, looking up at the main figure. The background has a simple geometric pattern, and the edges are decorated with small, repeated designs. The main figure’s name is written as "SNIC" in the corner, likely short for Saint Nicolas. The colors are faded but include red, green, and olive tones on a blue background. Next, look up how this was made using the technique: woodcut.

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