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Turkish Town

Melchior Lorch

1570

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Turkish Town is a 1570 ink by Melchior Lorch, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Melchior Lorch
When & what style?: 1570 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This woodcut shows a busy city packed with tall buildings and sharp rooftops. In the foreground, a large open space has a few people walking and a camel tied up. The background is full of domes, minarets, and narrow streets. Everything is drawn in crisp black lines against a light background. The artist used simple shapes and patterns to show depth, even though it’s just a woodcut. The tiny details in the buildings and streets make the scene feel alive. Next, check out the technique: woodcut to see how artists carved these images into wood.