The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Sculptura in Aes, The Workshop of an Engraver

Sculptura in Aes, The Workshop of an Engraver

c. 1591
(Netherlandish, active Italy, 1523–1605)
engraved by

Philip Galle

(Flemish, 1537–1612)
publisher

Philip Galle

(Flemish, 1537–1612)
Flanders
engraving on antique laid paper
Plate: 20.3 x 27.3 cm (8 x 10 3/4 in.); Sheet: 28.7 x 35.6 cm (11 5/16 x 14 in.)
The A. W. Ellenberger, Sr., Endowment Fund 2019.33
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This engraving illustrates the process of making an engraving in the late 1500s, from carving the plate to inking and printing.

Description

This engraving, made in 1591, is an important document of the printmaking process in the 1500s. The artist Johannes Stradanus portrayed the stages of making an engraving from right to left. First, the engraver carved the plate; then, it was inked and wiped. One man is shown pulling a plate from an acid bath (illustrating the etching process). Finally, the inked plate was printed on a large roller press. The finished prints were hung to dry. The engraving was one of a series of prints Stradanus made that documented important inventions of the period, ranging from the eyeglass, to distillation, to gunpowder.
  • Eric Gillis Fine Art, Brussels, Belgium
    March 4, 2019
    the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Veldman, Ilja M., Ger Luijten, and F. W. H. Hollstein. The New Hollstein Dutch & Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, 1450-1700. 1993.
  • {{cite web|title=Sculptura in Aes, The Workshop of an Engraver|url=false|author=Jan van der Straet, called Johannes Stradanus, Philip Galle, Philip Galle|year=c. 1591|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2019.33