Banknote motif: the number 5 set against a scallop-edged circle of ornamental lathe work, within a rectangle with cut off corners, the top adorned with a vase and swans, the bottom with fruit and grain
Medium
Engraving and etching; proof
Dimensions
sheet: 3 3/16 x 1 15/16 in. (8.1 x 4.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Joseph Veach Noble, 2002
Accession Number
2002.333.55
Tags
Art Historical Context
This intricate engraving and etching, created around 1824–42 by Cyrus Durand and the firms A. B. & C. Durand & Company and Durand, Perkins, and Company, served as a proof for a banknote design featuring the numeral 5. Measuring just over three by two inches, the small sheet showcases the elaborate security features typical of early American currency. The central scallop-edged circle employs ornamental lathe work—a mechanically generated pattern of fine, interlocking lines that was extremely difficult to replicate by hand, thereby deterring counterfeiters. Durand, a pioneering engraver and inv...
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