Description:
four images trimmed to the edge; scene from New Testament on each print surrounded by ornate design elements including grotesque figures; niello; nielli
Label Text:
The unusual shapes of these four prints identify them not as engravings, but as silversmith proofs of carved knife handles. These proofs were created by inking the surface of carved handles and printing their surfaces. If we strain our eyes, we can almost read the words that occupy the banners underneath each biblical scene, until we realize that the words read backwards when printed. The reversed printing reveals that the creation of the silverware handles was the primary objective of the silversmith.
Only rarely did silversmiths produce proofs of their objects. Silversmiths and goldsmiths have been credited with laying the foundation for the development of engraving and etching. The link between these two artistic media is especially evident in the similarities that these four prints share with the rest of the miniatures in this installation.
On these four sheets of trimmed paper we see centrally placed biblical scenes from the New Testament: the Nativity, Christ Washing the Feet of the Apostles, Christ and the Sumerian Woman, and Christ and the Moneylenders. These scenes are framed by “grotesque” designs –the intermingling of vegetation, antique busts, and animal figures. Additionally, the seventeeth- century Dutch silversmith included a recently developed element to the knife handle surface: the engraved narrative scene, first used by artists in the 1430s. The strokes used to create the figural and architectural details in the biblical scenes closely resemble the cross-hatching used in engravings. The combination of this newly developed narrative art form and a traditionally decorated surface is a reminder that engraved plates originated from the art of fine metal work.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+2003.22 |
