Who painted Saint Clare of Assisi?

Saint Clare of Assisi was painted by German 15th Century in 1460.

Where can I see Saint Clare of Assisi?

Saint Clare of Assisi is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Saint Clare of Assisi?

Saint Clare of Assisi is associated with Renaissance.

Artwork

Saint Clare of Assisi

German 15th Century , 1460

Saint Clare of Assisi is an ink print by the Renaissance artist German 15th Century. It dates from 1460 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

The work is a hand‑colored woodcut depicting a female figure identified as Saint Clare of Assisi. Executed on paper, the image presents the saint seated, dressed in a black habit with a white veil, and holding a green book. A smaller, darkened figure stands beside her, while the surrounding space is framed by a red border and a patterned floor of blue and white stripes.

Subject & Meaning

Saint Clare, a 13th‑century follower of Saint Francis, is shown in a contemplative pose, the green book likely representing her spiritual writings or the Rule of the Poor Clares. The adjacent dark figure may symbolize a companion, perhaps a disciple or a symbolic representation of humility, underscoring her role as a religious guide.

Technique & Style

The image was produced by carving a design into a wood block, inking the relief, and printing it onto paper. After printing, the print was manually painted with a limited palette of wine red, blue, green, carmine, gray, and gold. The coloration is applied in flat, uniform areas, giving the composition a graphic, two‑dimensional quality typical of early woodcut illustration.

History & Provenance

The print belongs to the tradition of devotional woodcuts that circulated in the late medieval and early Renaissance periods. While specific details of its creation and ownership are not recorded, such works were commonly used for personal piety and as illustrative material in religious texts.

Context

Woodcut printing became a popular medium for disseminating religious imagery in the 15th and 16th centuries, allowing relatively inexpensive reproduction of saintly portraits. The stark outlines and vivid hand‑applied colors reflect the aesthetic of early printmaking before the advent of more sophisticated shading techniques.

Legacy

Images like this contributed to the visual vocabulary of saintly representation, influencing later printed devotional materials. The combination of woodcut precision with hand coloring demonstrates a transitional stage in print culture, bridging manuscript illumination and mass‑produced prints.