1546
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Virginius Killing His Daughter is a 1546 ink by Georg Pencz, a Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This black-and-white engraving shows a tense moment: a man in armor kneels while holding a woman’s arm, who looks down with a mix of fear and resignation. Behind them, two older men watch—one sitting with a staff, the other standing with a sword. The woman’s bare shoulder and the man’s rough armor stand out against the dark background. The scene feels dramatic but quiet, with every line sharp and deliberate. The artist used fine lines and shading to show emotion and texture, like the folds in the armor or the woman’s loose hair. This is an example of engraving, a technique where artists etch lines into metal plates.
Georg Pencz (c. 1500 – 11 October 1550) was a German engraver, painter and printmaker. Pencz was probably born in Westheim near Bad Windsheim/Franconia. He travelled to Nuremberg in 1523 and joined Albrecht Dürer’s…
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