Artwork
The Hand as the Mirror of Salvation
The Hand as the Mirror of Salvation is an ink print by the Renaissance artist Netherlandish 15th Century. It dates from 1466 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Hand as the Mirror of Salvation is a woodcut print, enhanced with hand-coloring in rose, green, yellow, and gray, and printed in brown ink through a friction technique. The composition centers on a colossal hand supporting a mirror, accompanied by two diminutive figures on its fingers.
Subject & Meaning
The dominant hand, holding a mirror, symbolizes a reflective pathway to salvation. Two figures, one gazing upwards and the other pointing at the mirror, suggest contemplation and guidance. Surrounding text, woven around the hand like ribbons, implies a connection between the written word and spiritual enlightenment.
Technique & Style
Executed as a woodcut, the piece leverages the medium's inherent textures. Hand-coloring adds depth, with the brown ink of the print contrasting against the vibrant, yet muted, hues of rose, green, yellow, and gray. The style emphasizes bold lines and flat, colored areas, characteristic of woodcut printing.
Context
Created in a period when woodcut was a prevalent method for mass-producing images, this work likely served religious or devotional purposes, given its thematic focus on salvation and contemplation. The use of simple, recognizable imagery suggests it may have been intended for a broad audience.
Artist & collection
Artist
These prints show Christ’s suffering in bold, hand-colored images from 15th-century Northern Europe.
Saint Barbara
The Madonna and Child in a Rosary
The Measure of the Side Wound and the Body of Christ
The Bible of the Poor (Biblia Pauperum),
Pharaoh's Army Drowned in the Red Sea; Baptism of Christ; and Moses' Spies Returning with Grapes from Canaan
Esau Selling Jacob his Birthright; Temptation of Christ; and Temptation of Adam and Eve
Madonna and Child in a Glory with an Indulgence and a Prayer
An Easter Calendar Beginning with the Year 1466
Saint Alto, Saint Bridget and the Founders of the Mariamunster
The Man of Sorrows and His Mother
Christ as Salvator Mundi!["Obliterate the Trace of the Pot in the Ashes" [fol. 32 verso / 33 recto], by French early 16th Century](https://artifactworldgallery.com/img/french-early-16th-century--obliterate-the-trace-of-the-pot-in-the-ashes-fol-32-verso-33--e808688d684304b0-w320.webp)
"Obliterate the Trace of the Pot in the Ashes" [fol. 32 verso / 33 recto]
Madonna with the Rosary
The Way of Salvation