The Genealogical Tree of the Dominicans

1480/1490

Netherlandish 15th Century

Associated Names
The image depicts a full-length illustration of a central figure dressed in a long dark robe with a lighter inner lining, holding a staff adorned with a cross. His facial features are stylized with baldness on top and some hair around the sides, and his expression is serene, complemented by a halo around his head. Above this central figure is a holy figure, possibly a depiction of Jesus, sporting a crown and holding an orb and a cross, surrounded by a grapevine motif. Flanking the main figure are several other smaller religious figures, each in various seated or kneeling positions, with halos and distinctive robes. Each figure seems to be involved in some form of scholarly or religious activity, such as holding books or tools of the trade. The background is an intricate design of intertwining grapevines with leaves and clusters of grapes, all set against an earthy-toned backdrop. Additionally, a dog is featured at the bottom, interacting with a sphere or orb.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    woodcut, hand-colored with tan ground and vermilion, rose, brown, gray-blue and a printed black

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1964.8.11

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Schreiber, Vol. IX, no. 1776, State d


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

William H. Schab; purchased 1960 by Lessing J. Rosenwald; gift to NGA, 1964.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Fifteenth-Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the Collection of the National Gallery of Art, NGA, 1965-1966, no. 256, repro.

1990

  • Gardens on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1200-1900, NGA, 1990, no. 16, repro.

Bibliography

1926

  • Schreiber, Wilhelm Ludwig. Handbuch de Holz- und Metailschnitte des XV Jahrhunderts. 8 vols. Leipzig: Verlag Karl W. Hierseman, 1926-1930.

1965

  • Field, Richard S. Fifteenth Century Woodcuts and Metalcuts from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1965.

1990

  • Clayton, Virginia Tuttle. Gardens on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1200-1900. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1990: 16.

Wikidata ID

Q65507038

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