Design for a bed
1527
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 12 3/4 x 9 11/16 in. (32.4 x 24.6 cm) plate: 11 5/8 x 8 9/16 in. (29.5 x 21.8 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.737
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1527 by the German artist Daniel Hopfer, this etching presents an elaborate design for a bed complete with human figures that bring the scene to life. As a work classified under Ornament & Architecture, it reflects the Renaissance interest in decorative furnishings that blended utility with artistic expression. Hopfer’s precise lines capture the intricate details of the bed’s structure, suggesting a piece intended for a wealthy patron. Etching, a relatively new printmaking technique in the early sixteenth century, allowed artists like Hopfer to achieve fine, fluid lines that were d...
About the Artist
Daniel Hopfer · 1471–1536
Daniel Hopfer (c. 1470–1536), born in Kaufbeuren, was the son of the painter Bartholomäus Hopfer and Anna Sendlerin. He relocated early to Augsburg, becoming a citizen and master painter there in 1493, and trained as an etcher of armor in this thriving center of arms production. By 1505, he owned a house in the city center and served on the guild committee for smiths, which encompassed painters an...