1401
vellum
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
The Destruction of the Egyptian Idols [verso] is a 1401 by Italian 15th Century, a Renaissance work, depicting Biblical Magi, held at National Gallery of Art.
This tiny painting shows Moses standing over broken idols. He holds a staff, rays come from his head, and flames rise behind him. The weird thing is the gold leaf still gleams. Most old miniatures lose their shine, but this one sparkles. It’s from an Italian prayer book made around 1500. Vellum pages were expensive, so only rich folks owned them. The artist used bright colors and ink details to tell the Bible story fast. Look up the National Gallery of Art, Washington to see it in person.
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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Explore artworks →![The Flight into Egypt [recto]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/8f4d5275d7f90f98/thumb.webp)
