Plate 9, from twenty ornamental designs for goblets and beakers
1604
Medium
Punch engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 13 × 10.5 cm (5 1/8 × 4 3/16 in.); Plate: 14 × 10.5 cm (5 9/16 × 4 3/16 in.); Sheet: 16 × 11.5 cm (6 5/16 × 4 9/16 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
128051
Art Historical Context
Step into the intricate world of early 17th-century ornamental with *Plate 9, from Ornamental Designs for Gob and Beakers* by Master A.P., in 1604. This engraving captures the Renaissance fascination with elaborate silverware, serving as a pattern sheet for goldsmiths and silversmiths crafting luxurious goblets and beakers Master A.P., a monogrammist engraver likely active in the Holy Roman Empire, exemplifies the Northern European tradition of producing such prints to inspire opulent tableware for the elite. The artwork's punch engraving technique—using hammered punches to create precise, te...
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...