Coptic Icon of Jesus and an Abbot vs. Portrait of a Lady with Unicorn 

Coptic Icon of Jesus and an Abbot -Georgina Walmsley

6th or 7th century 

This a piece of medieval art found in a church.  It is thought to be created during either the 6th or 7th century.  The picture shows Jesus standing with an abbot.  They have the coins surrounding their heads saying that they are holy people.   The artist painted the people with semi-humanistic characters.  They don't have the lifelike look of renaissance pictures because they lack the shading caused by the contours of the body and chin. 

Portrait of a Lady and Unicorn -Georgina Walmsley

This portrait of a lady was painted by Raphael during the renaissance. It contains very great detail of her dress, belt and necklace.  Her hair contains curls surrounding her head which Raphael carefully painted in.  Also on the left side of her face there is a tear showing sadness which may be connected to the unicorn she is cradling.  During the renaissance, artists began to use shadowing on people which made them seem more lifelike and not as flat looking as before.  Visible in the picture are shadows along her neck and jaw as well as on the sleeves of her gown.  

Comparison -Georgina Walmsley

The first portrait is a medieval piece of art that depicts two people. Their qualities are near to human like but do not compare to portraits from the time of the Renaissance such as the Portrait of a Lady and Unicorn.  The difference between medieval art and art from the Renaissance is that during the Renaissance, artists began to use shadow to make their pictures have more depth and detail.