Saturn
c. 1540-50, published in 1604
Medium
Chiaroscuro woodcut, printed from four blocks, in four shades of gray, on white laid paper
Dimensions
32.5 × 44 cm (12 13/16 × 17 3/8 in.)
Classification
chiaroscuro woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
23711
Art Historical Context
Behold the striking *Saturn*, a chiaroscuro woodcut the masterful Italian printmaker Niccolò Vic, created around 1540–50 and published in 1604. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings Department, this 32.5 × 44 cm work captures the brooding Roman god of time and agriculture—often depicted as a grim reaper figure—in a dramatic pose that evokes Renaissance fascination with classical mythology. Vicentino's genius shines in his pioneering use of *chiaroscuro* technique, printing from four separate woodblocks in varying shades of gray on white laid paper. This innovative method, r...