Plate from the Print Series 'Grateske voer golt smeden Schrijnwerkers Ende andere des nodich hebbende'
ca. 1610–1630
Medium
Blackwork
Dimensions
7 3/4 × 11 7/16 × 1/8 in. (19.7 × 29 × 0.3 cm) Plate: 5 3/8 × 6 1/8 in. (13.7 × 15.6 cm)
Classification
Albums|Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1932
Accession Number
32.123.29
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite plate, created by Dutch artist Meinert Gelijs around 1610–1630, hails from the print series *Grateske voer golt smeden Schrijnwerk Ende andere des nodighbbende*—roughly translated as "Grotes for goldsmiths, cabinetmakers, and in need." As part of a practical pattern book, it offered intricate ornamental designs to artisans crafting jewelry, furniture, and decorative objects during the Dutch Golden Age, when elaborate grotesques—fantastical motifs blending flora, fauna, and figures—drew from Renaissance revivals of ancient Roman frescoes. Rendered in blackwork, a meticulous prin...