Schön Neues Modelbuch (Page 32 recto)
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Overall: 6 1/8 x 7 13/16 in. (15.5 x 19.8 cm)
Classification
Books|Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1920
Accession Number
20.16(32r)
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Schön Neues Modelbuch ( 32 recto)**, created in 1597 by engraver Johann Sibmacher with involvement from printer Balthasar Caymox, exemplifies vibrant world of Renaissance pattern books from Nuremberg, Germany. This etching, measuring 6 1/8 x 7 13/16 inches, is a page from Sibmacher's *Beautiful New Pattern Book*, a treasured resource for artisans crafting lace, embroidery, and textiles. Such *Modelbücher* democratized intricate designs, spreading ornamental motifs across Europe and fueling the decorative arts boom of the late 16th century. Etching's precision—acid biting into metal plates—a...
About the Artist
Johann Sibmacher|Balthasar Caymox · 1590–1611
Johann Sibmacher (c. 1561–1611), also rendered as Johann Ambrosius Siebmacher, was a German copperplate engraver, etcher, and publisher based in Nuremberg whose contributions to heraldic art and decorative pattern design left a legacy that outlasted him by centuries. Active from around 1590 until his death in 1611, Sibmacher worked at the heart of Nuremberg's flourishing book and print trade, a ci...