Plate 17, from twenty ornamental designs for goblets and beakers
1604
Medium
Punch engraving with traces of burin in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 16 × 16 cm (6 5/16 × 6 5/16 in.); Sheet: 16.5 × 16.3 cm (6 1/2 × 6 7/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
128060
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The uneven edges of the printing plate for this dish-like engraving remain visible, imperfectly trimmed into a circle. While this work is similar in format to the Theodor de Bry Charity nearby (1927.2676), here the goddess of love, Venus, holds the central position instead. Depictions of the deities of land, water, and air fill out the other cartouches, intermingled with intricate strapwork. This image was one of 20 designs for use on goblets and beakers.
About the Artist
Master A.P.
Master A.P. is the conventional designation used by art historians to identify an anonymous printmaker known only through the monogram "A.P." appearing on a body of engravings. The practice of referring to unidentified artists by their initials or distinctive marks is well established in the study of early printmaking, where many skilled practitioners left no documentary record of their identities...