The Miraculous Draught of Fishes
c. 1540-1550
Medium
Chiaroscuro woodcut in black, grayish blue, and bluish green on paper
Dimensions
22.9 × 34.2 cm (9 1/16 × 13 1/2 in.)
Classification
woodcut
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
52674
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Chiaroscuro woodcut prints were developed to emulate the appearance of pen-and-ink drawings, which featured dark ink washes contrasted against white highlights. Here a middle tone of gray from a single block boldly colors the figures and their cast shadows, with the exposed tone of the paper used for the highlights. Additional black and green inks outline the figures and landscape. The sketched lines in brown completing the boats are later additions by an unknown hand. The print reproduces one o...
About the Artist
Niccolò Vicentino · 1540–1550
**Niccolò Vicentino (also known as Giuseppe Niccolò Rospigliosi or Rossigliani, called Vicentino)** was an Italian Renaissance painter and wood-engraver active primarily in the mid-16th century. Born in Vicenza around 1525, he worked in Bologna circa 1550. He specialized in the demanding technique of chiaroscuro woodcuts, which use multiple blocks to create tonal effects of light and shadow. He w...