New Modelbüch (Page 16v) 1615

Andreas Bretschneider made this page from the New Modelbüch, sometime between the late 16th and early 17th century. It's an etching, a print, and we can think about it as a piece of intellectual property. Modelbüchen or “model books” were pattern books, used by artisans as sources for all kinds of designs. Bretschneider was German, and we see specifically German heraldic motifs, a man-at-arms, a griffin, fleur-de-lis, along with grotesque figures. This book would have served a clear social function, circulating designs within a specific artisan community in central Europe. These images were not ‘high art’ but were part of a visual culture that drove both production and consumption. The historian can trace the transmission and transformation of such images using resources like guild records, account books, and inventories. In this way, we come to understand the circulation of images as a vital element of social and economic exchange.