1552
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
High Fruits with Ornaments is a 1552 ink by Heinrich Aldegrever, a Northern Renaissance work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This print shows a tall, narrow design packed with swirling vines, flowers, and faces. The center has a cross shape with a crown at the top and two urns on the sides. Small heads peek out from the leaves, and the whole thing looks carved from dark lines on light paper. There’s no color—just deep shadows and sharp edges. The tiny faces might look like cherubs, but the plants and shapes are more like fancy decorations. This kind of detailed linework is made by pressing a metal plate into paper. Try looking up engraving to see how this print was made.
Heinrich Aldegrever or Aldegraf was a German painter and engraver. He was one of the "Little Masters", the group of German artists making small old master prints in the generation after Albrecht Dürer.
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