Ornamental Ewer in the Shape of a Female Satyr by Augustin Hirschvogel

Ornamental Ewer in the Shape of a Female Satyr 1543

print, etching

germany

quirky sketch

print

pen sketch

etching

pencil sketch

incomplete sketchy

personal sketchbook

ink drawing experimentation

pen-ink sketch

sketchbook drawing

sketchbook art

fantasy sketch

This intricate woodcut by German artist Augustin Hirschvogel, titled *Ornamental Ewer in the Shape of a Female Satyr* (1543), depicts a fantastical design for a pitcher. The image shows a female figure with the head of a satyr, adorned with a leafy crown and a flowing drapery, whose body twists into the shape of a serpentine handle. Hirschvogel, known for his meticulous engravings and architectural designs, captures the detail of the ewer with a skilled hand, highlighting the craftsmanship and beauty of this unique design.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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These fantastical vessels, one with a serpent handle (P.68.187) and another with furry legs (P.68.188), hint at the innovations to come from the mind of Augustin Hirschvogel. They were made in 1543, about the time Hirschvogel moved to Vienna after working as a glass painter and cartographer in Nuremberg and present-day Yugoslavia. In Vienna, he used the spontaneity of line exhibited in these ornament prints to create some of the first-ever landscape etchings, helping to establish the genre.