Letter R

Art Historical Context

**Letter R** *Peter Aubry, 1630* Engraving on paper, 24.3 × 19.9 cm (9 5/8 × 7 7/8 in.) Art Institute of Chicago, Prints and Drawings Department Step into the intricate world of 17th printmaking with Peter Aubry's *Letter*, a delicate engraving created in 1630. This modest yet masterful work captures a single letterform in exquisite detail, likely part of an ornamental alphabet series that celebrated the artistry of typography during Europe's Baroque era. At just under 10 by 8 inches, it exemplifies how prints could transform everyday letters into elegant, decorative motifs, bridging calligraphy and fine art. Engraving, Aubry's chosen medium, involved incising designs into a copper plate with a sharp burin, then inking and pressing it onto paper to produce sharp, precise lines. This labor-intensive technique was revolutionary for its time, enabling widespread dissemination of intricate designs for books, broadsheets, and decorative objects. In 1630, amid the flourishing print culture of France and the Low Countries, such works highlighted engravers' technical prowess and contributed to the evolution of graphic arts. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings collection, *Letter R* invites us to appreciate the unsung beauty of the alphabet—where a simple character becomes a canvas for historical ingenuity and timeless elegance.