Page from Ein new kunstlich Modelbuch...(Page 47r)
1544
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Overall: 7 11/16 x 5 7/8 in. (19.5 x 15 cm)
Classification
Books|Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1922
Accession Number
22.84.1(47r)
Art Historical Context
Step into the inventive world of 16th design with *Page 47r* from Peterentel's *Ein new kunstlich Modelbuch* ( New Artistic Model Book), published in 1544. Quentel, a skilled printer based in Cologne, Germany, this woodcut-illustrated volume as a practical guide for artisans—goldsmiths, embroiderers, and architects—offering reusable patterns to elevate their craft during the Northern Renaissance. Woodcuts, carved into wooden blocks and inked for printing, were ideal for reproducing intricate ornamental and architectural motifs at scale, democratizing access to sophisticated designs previously...
About the Artist
Peter Quentel · 1500–1550
Peter Quentel (ca. 1500–1546) was a prominent German printer and publisher based in Cologne, active from 1518 until his death on March 1, 1546. The son of the esteemed printer Heinrich Quentel (d. 1501), Peter began issuing books under his own name around 1518 and fully assumed control of the family press by 1520, eventually serving multiple terms as a Cologne city councilman. His early life is no...