1519
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Two Naked Children Supporting a Blank Shield is a 1519 ink by Lucas van Leyden, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows two barefoot children holding up a blank shield between them. One child kneels, gripping the shield’s bottom edge, while the other stands, lifting it from above. Both look chubby and serious, with smooth skin and simple drapery. A bird perches on a windowsill in the background, and a small barrel sits on the floor. The shield’s emptiness is the oddest part—no coat of arms or symbols, just smooth space. The artist used fine lines and shading to show the kids’ rounded shapes and the room’s simple furniture. Want to see how artists carved these tiny details? Look up engraving.
Lucas van Leyden (1494 – 8 August 1533), was a Dutch painter and printmaker in engraving and woodcut. Lucas van Leyden was among the first Dutch exponents of genre painting and was a very accomplished engraver.
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