Saint Margaret c. 1480

This is an anonymous woodcut of Saint Margaret, its date unknown, with bold lines and simple colors that command attention. The saint stands centrally, framed by a decorative border which creates a sense of enclosure. Note how the anonymous artist's deliberate use of a limited palette - the reds of her robe, and the greens of the vegetation - creates a striking contrast. Margaret is portrayed with a lamb, a visual metaphor for innocence, and a staff topped with a cross, symbolizing her faith. The formal structure of the print, with its clear lines and flat planes of color, divides the pictorial space, creating a sense of order. The halo, a flat disk, is not naturalistic but symbolic. The choice of medium—woodcut— with its inherent graphic quality and the artist's use of line and color, transforms the religious into an accessible image. Ultimately, the visual impact resides in the piece's formal arrangement and the way it uses these to convey the cultural codes of religious imagery.