Leaf Ornament with Lilies of the Valley
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 5/8 × 1 3/4 in. (6.7 × 4.5 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.8.17
Tags
Art Historical Context
Albrecht Altdorfer a pioneering artist of the German Renaissance and leader of the Danube School (. 1480–1538), created this delicate *Leaf Ornament with Lilies of the Valley*. Though the exact date is unknown, it exemplifies his mastery of engraving—a meticulous intaglio technique where lines are incised into a metal plate, inked, and pressed onto paper. At just 2 5/8 × 1 3/4 inches (6.7 × 4.5 cm), this tiny print from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and department showcases Altdorfer's extraordinary precision, rendering intricate botanical motifs of leaves and lilies of the valley ...
About the Artist
Albrecht Altdorfer · 1475–1538
Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480–1538) was a German painter, printmaker, and draftsman who stands as one of the founders of landscape painting as an independent genre. Born in Regensburg or nearby Altdorf, he learned art from his father Ulrich, a painter and miniaturist. Altdorfer spent most of his life in Regensburg, becoming a citizen in 1505 and later serving as the city's official architect and a m...