Maria met Kind en heiligen 1500 - 1549

This chiaroscuro woodcut, “Maria met Kind en heiligen,” was made by the artist known only as Monogrammist NDB. The effect of a drawing rendered in light and shadow is achieved here not with ink, but with multiple woodblocks printed in different tones. This was a demanding process that required careful planning. The artist would have first cut the key block, which defined the composition, and then additional blocks to create the shading. Note how the lines create volume, with Mary’s robes cascading around her, and the details of the faces and the figures’ hair. The material qualities of the wood—its grain and density—would have influenced the way the artist cut and printed the image, imbuing it with a particular texture and depth. Woodcut, as a relatively accessible process, also allowed for wider distribution of images. This print speaks to the increasing commercialization of art in this period. It blurs the line between the handmade and the mass-produced.