An Elaborate Altar of Colored Marble Ornamented with Sculptures
1604
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1604
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
This drawing shows a fancy altar made to look like marble. Columns, statues, and detailed carvings fill the scene. The colors are mostly muted—beiges, browns, and touches of red and green—with gold accents highlighting edges and frames. Notice how the figures are placed like decorations on a building, not just standing alone. The artist used shading and washes to make the marble texture pop, almost like a 3D sketch. Next, check out how gouache works—it’s a paint technique that mixes pigment with a gluey binder.
![Palatial Mantelpiece with a Scene of Ancient Sacrifice [recto]](https://pub-3a17a9933ad74fb28aa30fa758592f23.r2.dev/artworks/6818e7e0eb258b13/thumb.webp)
