Horizontal Panel with Tendrils Growing Outwards from a Vase at Center 1532

Heinrich Aldegrever made this tiny ornamental panel with an engraving on an iron plate sometime in the 16th century. Its symmetrical design shows how the decorative forms of the Northern Renaissance were developing. This print gives us a glimpse into the visual culture of Germany at the time. Aldegrever was a printmaker and painter, and he moved in circles influenced by the Protestant Reformation. His detailed style, seen here in the delicate tendrils and the vase's textured surface, would have appealed to collectors and artisans looking for new ideas. Ornamental prints like these were used as models for everything from metalwork to textiles. The availability of these prints allowed for the rapid spread of artistic ideas across Europe and also played a role in establishing new tastes within a rising merchant class. Understanding the impact of Aldegrever’s work means looking at the broader context: the printmaking industry, the role of religious change, and the development of decorative arts. It is by looking at these contexts that we can properly understand the social life of images.