Who painted Christ Child with Bird?

Christ Child with Bird was painted by German 15th Century in 1465.

Where can I see Christ Child with Bird?

Christ Child with Bird is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Christ Child with Bird?

Christ Child with Bird is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Christ Child with Bird

German 15th Century , 1465

Christ Child with Bird is an ink print by the Renaissance artist German 15th Century. It dates from 1465 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. This woodcut print depicts a young child cradling a small bird amid a modest landscape.

About this work

Overview

This woodcut print depicts a young child cradling a small bird amid a modest landscape. The figure stands barefoot, dressed in a striped tunic and a broad, rounded hat trimmed in red. Flanking the scene are two stylized trees with flat, leafy crowns and a patch of grass dotted with simple flowers, all rendered in the warm black of the woodcut and later enhanced with hand‑applied color.

Subject & Meaning

The central motif of a child gently holding a bird evokes themes of innocence, care, and the natural world’s harmony. The serene expression on the child’s face and the calm posture of the bird suggest a tender interaction, often interpreted in devotional contexts as a symbol of Christ’s humanity and compassion toward creation.

Technique & Style

Carved from a single wood block, the image is first printed in a warm black ink.

Carved from a single wood block, the image is first printed in a warm black ink. After printing, the artist applied hand‑coloring using pigments of olive green, rose, vermilion, yellow ochre, and tan, highlighting clothing, foliage, and background elements. The combination of bold line work with modest, flat color areas reflects the aesthetic of early European woodcut prints, where color served to accentuate rather than fully model forms.

History & Provenance

The print belongs to the tradition of hand‑colored woodcuts that circulated in the late medieval to early modern period, when such works were used for both devotional and instructional purposes. While the specific creator and date are not recorded, the stylistic features and palette align with Northern European printmaking practices of the 15th–16th centuries, when woodcuts were commonly produced for private contemplation and modest display.