Design for Parade Egg Cups and Combined Egg Cup/Salt Cellar with Lid 1496 - 1583

This is Erasmus Hornick’s “Design for Parade Egg Cups and Combined Egg Cup/Salt Cellar with Lid”, a 16th-century pen and gray ink drawing. The artist arranges several design options on the page, immediately creating a sense of variety and possibility within a unified theme. Notice how Hornick uses line to define form and volume. The detailed rendering of the egg cups reveals a fascination with ornamentation. The sphinx-like figures and elaborate decorations point to a cultural interest in classicism. We might consider this drawing as an early example of product design. Hornick is not just creating art for art's sake but thinking about how design can elevate everyday objects. The precise lines and symmetrical compositions suggest a world where even the most mundane items can be transformed into objects of beauty and status. Hornick challenges us to reconsider the value we place on everyday objects, to think about how design can imbue even the simplest items with layers of meaning.