Four Doctors of the Church
ca. 1540–50
Medium
Chiaroscuro woodcut in two blocks in light green
Dimensions
Sheet: 8 7/8 in. × 7 in. (22.6 × 17.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.73.3-158
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking chiaroscuro woodcut by Domenico Beccafumi, created around 1540–50, depicts the Four Doctors of the Church—early Christian theologians whose writings shaped religious doctrine. Rendered in two blocks of light green ink, the print captures four male figures in thoughtful poses, their robes and attributes subtly modeled through contrasts of tone. Measuring just under nine inches tall, the intimate scale invites close viewing of the delicate interplay between light and shadow. Beccafumi’s choice of the chiaroscuro technique was innovative for its time, allowing a woodcut to mimic th...
About the Artist
Domenico Beccafumi
Italian artist. Comment on works: History