Saint Alto c. 1500

This anonymous woodcut from around 1500 depicts Saint Alto standing near a tree, holding a knife in his hand. His figure is clothed in a brown robe and a blue tunic, his head topped with a hat. The image also contains a small church in the background, several birds flying in the sky, and a inscription below the figure, "S Alto bzin". Woodcuts like this were common in the 15th and 16th centuries, used to spread religious stories and images. The simple style and flat, colorful forms are characteristic of the period's graphic arts.