Covered Goblet with Grotesques on a White Background 1490 - 1538

Albrecht Altdorfer created this delicate engraving of a covered goblet on a white background. The intricate detail and symmetry of the design elements encourage close inspection. The composition is structured around the goblet’s distinct layers: the base, the bowl, the lid, each densely ornamented with grotesques and foliage. Look at how Altdorfer employs a formal language of decoration, destabilizing our sense of the object's function. Is it meant for practical use, or is its primary purpose to display the engraver's virtuosity? The grotesque figures, with their distorted features, disrupt classical ideals of beauty, suggesting a fascination with the bizarre. These motifs create a visual tension, challenging viewers to reconcile the goblet's ornamental richness with the unsettling nature of its decorative elements. Consider how Altdorfer's emphasis on intricate design invites us to contemplate the changing relationship between art, craft, and the human form. It prompts ongoing interpretation of the boundaries between aesthetic pleasure and cultural unease.