1613
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Border Illustration with God the Father, Two Saints, and a Serpent is a 1613 ink by Netherlandish 17th Century, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows a blank space framed by four figures. At the top, a robed man with a beard floats above clouds, holding out his hands. Below him, two standing figures—one on each side—wear long robes and look upward. The left figure holds a rose, the right a lily. At the bottom, a coiled serpent spills out from a sunburst shape. The empty center might seem odd, but it was meant to hold text or another image later. The mix of religious symbols (the rose, lily, and serpent) was common in art of this time. Next, check out how engraving works to see how artists like this carved these details.
This artist was born in the Netherlands in the early 1600s and made drawings and engravings.
See the richer artist page
