Design for a Knife Handle with a Scene of Christ Joining a Man and Woman
1580–1600
Medium
Engraving and blackwork
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 × 2 5/8 in. (10.2 × 6.7 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.5784(3)
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the late 16th century, Johann Theodor de Bry, a skilled engraver from the prominent de Bry family of Flemish artists, created this intricate *Design for a Knife Handle with a Scene of Christ Joining a Man and Woman* around 1580–1600. The tiny sheet, measuring just 4 × 2⅝ inches, captures a tender religious moment: Christ blessing a bride and groom, surrounded by angels, symbolizing the sacred union of marriage. Such motifs drew from Christian iconography popular in Northern Renaissance art, blending spirituality with everyday objects. Rendered in engraving and blackwork—a technique using d...
About the Artist
Johann Theodor de Bry · 1561–1923
Comment on works: copper engraver