View in Fisheye perspective of a Hall with Columns and Cross Rib Vaulting
ca. 1610–20
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 6 3/4 × 12 11/16 in. (17.1 × 32.2 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Edward Pearce Casey Fund, 2014
Accession Number
2014.787
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created around 1610–20 Hans Pesser, this engraving offers a striking fisheye of a grand hall lined with columns adorned with intricate cross-ribing. The unusual bends the architectural lines outward allowing viewers to grasp full sweep of the space the modest sheet size of roughly 6¾ by 12⅝ inches. As a print, it belongs to the tradition of architectural ornament, where engravings served both as records of design ideas and as sources of inspiration for builders and craftsmen. Pesser’s choice of medium highlights the precision engraving could achieve in rendering stone textures, shadowed arche...