Aspruck, Franz

A Flemish goldsmith, draftsman, sculptor, copper engraver and embosser from Brussels. He is documented at Augsburg between 1598 and 1604; before this he was probably living in nearby Friedberg. As he was not accepted as a master craftsman by the Augsburg goldsmiths' trade, he worked with them as a 'free artist.' His drawings show an individual style influenced by Hendrick Goltzius and Bartholomäus Spranger. He also sketched for other engravers such as Antwerp engraver Dominicus Custos active in Augsburg. In 1601 he used a new variation of engraving, furthering the technique of mezzotint. A 1603 commission from Archduke Matthias testifies to Aspruck's reputation for small-scale sculptures, of which a few survive (in bronze or wax) or are documented in silver.