"Copper Plate Printers at Work", Folio from the Davis Album
dated A.H. 1199/1784–85 CE
Medium
Ink on paper
Dimensions
Page: H. 13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm) W. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm) Mat: H. 19 1/4 in. (48.9 cm) W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
Classification
Codices
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
Accession Number
30.95.174.34
Tags
Art Historical Context
"Copper Plate Printers at Work" is a striking folio from the Davis Album, created by artist Muhammad Zaman in 1784–85 CE. Rendered in ink on paper, the drawing captures men actively engaged with printing machinery, illustrating the rhythms of skilled labor and early industrial processes. Measuring just over 13 inches tall, this intimate work invites close viewing of its detailed figures and equipment, offering museum visitors a window into 18th-century craft traditions. As part of the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Islamic Art, the folio belongs to a codex-style album that likely gathere...