The Unicorn Purifies the Water with Its Horn
probably c. 1555/1561
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to plate mark): 22.5 × 40 cm (8 7/8 × 15 3/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1946.21.288
Art Historical Context
Behold *The Unicorn Purifies the Water with Its*, a captivating engraving by French artist Jean Duvet, likely created between 1555 and 1561. Duvet, a master goldsmith-turned-engraver from Langres, was renowned for his intricate line work bridging late Gothic detail with emerging Renaissance naturalism. This print, on laid paper and measuring 22.5 × 40 cm, exemplifies the technical precision of 16th-century engraving, a burin carves fine lines into a copper plate to produce rich, tonal images reproducible in multiples—revolutionizing art dissemination before widespread printing. The scene draw...
About the Artist
Jean Duvet · 1485–1570
Jean Duvet (1485–after 1562), a pioneering French goldsmith and engraver from the provincial heartlands of Dijon and Langres, emerged as the first significant printmaker in France. Born to a Dijon goldsmith, he trained in the family trade and rose swiftly, becoming master of the Dijon Goldsmiths' Guild by 1509. Duvet's early career blended goldsmithing with engraving; no specific teachers are docu...