Saint Christopher
1500
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1500
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Saint Christopher is a 1500 ink by Master MZ, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a towering figure carrying a small child on his shoulder. The man’s muscles bulge under his draped cloth, and his right arm stretches upward, fingers spread wide. The child clutches a staff while looking back, and the background hints at a distant village and sky. Lines crisscross the paper, creating shadows and texture in the figures’ robes and skin. The artist used cross-hatching—layers of crisscrossed lines—to build up dark and light areas, giving the scene depth without color. This was a common trick in Renaissance prints to mimic shading. Next, check out the technique called engraving.
