Sheet with overall red and yellow floral pattern
19th century
Medium
Relief print (wood or metal)
Dimensions
Sheet: 7 13/16 × 8 7/8 in. (19.8 × 22.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.71.9(88)
Art Historical Context
This charming 19th-century sheet features an overall pattern of vibrant red and yellowals, created anonymously using relief printing—a technique where ink is applied to raised surfaces of a wood or metal block, then pressed onto paper. Measuring just 7 13/16 × 8 7/8 inches, this compact print exemplifies the precision and repeatability of relief methods, which were staples in producing decorative papers for wallpapers, textiles, and bookbindings before mechanized processes dominated. In the 19th century, amid the Industrial Revolution's push for affordable home adornment, floral motifs like t...
About the Artist
Anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...