Genius on a Globe Floating in the Air
mid-17th century
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/4 × 1 7/16 in. (5.7 × 3.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.64.7
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Genius on a Globe in the Air*, a engraving by Barthel Beham from the mid-17th, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum Art's Drawings and Prints. Measuring just 2 1/4 × 1 7/16 inches, this tiny print exemplifies the precision of engraving—a technique where metal plates are incised with fine lines, inked, and pressed onto paper to create intricate, reproducible images. Beham, a masterful German printmaker, crafted works like this that pack profound symbolism into miniature formats, making art accessible to a wide audience during the Baroque era. The title evokes a whimsical yet allegoric...
About the Artist
Barthel Beham · 1502–1540
Barthel Beham (1502–1540), a pivotal figure in the German Renaissance, was born in Nuremberg into a family of artists. The younger brother of the renowned engraver Hans Sebald Beham, he honed his craft under the tutelage of his elder sibling and the master Albrecht Dürer, absorbing the precise techniques of engraving and painting that defined Nuremberg's vibrant artistic scene. Emerging as a prodi...