Ornament
1602
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1602
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Ornament is a 1602 ink by Mathias Beutler, a Renaissance work, depicting hunting, held at National Gallery of Art.
This engraving shows tangled vines and leaves pressed into a perfect square. The edges look like lace, but it’s all made with tiny lines. Each dot and dash builds up shadows and shapes. Mathias Beutler used a tool to scratch lines into a metal plate. Ink goes into the scratches, then the plate is pressed onto paper. This method lets artists copy fine details over and over. Try the same lines yourself at home, or see this print at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
