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Coat of Arms in a Circle

Unknown 19th Century

1850

ink

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism Early 19th Century

Dominant colour

Coat of Arms in a Circle is a 1850 ink by Unknown 19th Century, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Unknown 19th Century
When & what style?: 1850 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This image shows a round engraving with a detailed coat of arms in the center. Two lions stand on either side of a shield, which has a crown on top. Above the shield, there’s a wreath of leaves and flowers, and below it, some scrollwork and a banner with text. The background is filled with small lines and dots creating texture, and the edges of the circle have more decorative patterns and letters. The use of fine lines and dots to build up shadows and details is called cross-hatching. This technique makes the image look almost three-dimensional. Look up cross-hatching to see how artists create depth with just lines.