Banknote motif: the number 20 against an ornamental lathe work oval resembling woven rope
Medium
Engraving; proof
Dimensions
sheet: 1 5/16 x 1 7/16 in. (3.4 x 3.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Joseph Veach Noble, 2002
Accession Number
2002.333.40
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate engraving proof, titled *Banknote motif: the number 20 against an ornamental lathe work oval resembling woven rope*, showcases the precision craftsmanship of early 19th-century American printmakers. Created around 1824–42 by A. B. & C. Durand & Company, Durand, Perkins, and Company, or Cyrus Durand—pioneers in secure currency design—the tiny sheet (just 1 5/16 x 1 7/16 inches) features the bold numeral "20" framed by intricate, rope-like patterns produced via lathe work, a mechanical engraving technique using a rose engine to generate hypnotic, repeating motifs. In an era of ram...
About the Artist
A. B. & C. Durand & Company|Durand, Perkins, and Company|Cyrus Durand (American|American|American) · 1824 |1796 |1787 –1832 |1886 |1868
American, active 1824–32|American, Jefferson, New Jersey 1796–1886 Maplewood, New Jersey|American, 1787–1868