St. Martin
1488
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1488
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a young man on horseback slicing his fur-lined cloak with a sword while a beggar kneels beside him. This is Saint Martin, sharing half his cloak with a stranger. The artist carved the scene into metal first—an early printmaking trick—so the same image could travel far and wide. The fine lines make the fabric folds and horse’s muscles look almost real. If you like this, look up *chiaroscuro*—the way light and shadow shape a scene without color.
