Master E. S.
German, active c. 1450-1467
The Letter B, from The Alphabet
INV-2265
Master E. S.
German, active c. 1450-14671466–67
The Letter B, from The Alphabet
Master E. S. German, active c. 1450-1467 →engravingprint
Date
1466–67
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Sheet, trimmed within platemark: 13.7 × 11.3 cm (5 7/16 × 4 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Clarence Buckingham Collection
Before printing pictures from engraved copper plates developed as a practice, goldsmiths and other metalworkers were the only craftsmen to use sharp pointed tools to incise designs in metal, decorating armor, jewelry, and liturgical objects. The first designs to be filled with ink and pressed onto paper appeared in the Rhine Valley around 1430.
Known only by the monogram that appears on some of his designs, the goldsmith Master E. S. became one of the most prolific engravers in Germany. This rare print is one of 23 letters; medieval alphabets lacked j, v, and w. Although the purpose of the series is not fully known, the letters were likely intended to be designs for manuscript illuminators.
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