Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a print by the Renaissance artist Hans Brosamer. It dates from 1540 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Hans Brosamer’s print presents two designs for covered drinking vessels, each rendered with a moulded rim and a decorative band of scrolling acanthus leaves. The upper design features modest, shallow flutes, while the lower cup displays a more pronounced, bulging profile with deeper ridges and sharper leaf forms. Both exemplify the early Renaissance approach to ornamental metalwork.
Subject & Meaning
The compositions illustrate the revival of classical motifs that characterized the 15th‑century Italian decorative vocabulary. By employing the acanthus, a plant motif widely used in ancient Roman architecture, the designs convey a continuity with antiquity, reflecting the period’s fascination with classical ideals and the desire to embed them in everyday objects such as cups.
Technique & Style
Brosamer’s print employs line engraving to delineate the moulded contours and the intricate foliage. The acanthus leaves are rendered with a rolling, rhythmic pattern that echoes the hand‑carved reliefs found in contemporary goldsmithing. The stylised, repetitive nature of the ornament aligns with the broader Renaissance practice of adapting classical motifs for decorative purposes.
History & Provenance
Produced in the early 1500s, the print functioned as a pattern source for artisans across various crafts, especially goldsmiths who adapted the designs for metal vessels from the mid‑17th to the late‑18th century. Such ornamental prints facilitated the diffusion of stylistic trends throughout Europe, linking Italian Renaissance aesthetics with later decorative traditions.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Hans Brosamer (born in the late 1490s, probably in Fulda; died c. 1554) was a German draughtsman, printmaker and painter of the Renaissance period. His life has left hardly any documentary trace, other than his prints,…
Decorative Details from Florence and the Vatican
7 engraved prints
One of 7 engraved prints
Goblet, rim decorated with masque with gaping mouth
Goblet with Lillies of the Valley
Ornamental Vase
Goblet with base decorated with two large scallops
Untitled
Design for Two Vases and an Ornament (recto)
Ornament - Large Goblet
Goblet with two Masques on lid- A vase and a tripod