Art Institute of Chicago

The Miraculous Draught of Fishes

Niccolò Vicentino (Italian, active c. 1540-1550)

Date

c. 1540-1550

Medium

Chiaroscuro woodcut in black, grayish blue, and bluish green on paper

Culture

Italy

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

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 of Raphael’s tapestry designs for the Sistine Chapel and was once owned by the collector Pierre II Mariette.

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