The Housebook Master (?) Middle Rhenish, active c.1465-1500 Panorama of Mining, from The Housebook, 1475-1486 pen and ink with watercolor Collection of the Princes of Waldburg-Wolfegg

Mercury, related works

This is one of the earliest representations of mining in Western art. Miners extract ore from shafts in the mountain and others sort and haul it away in carts. A brawl in the center suggests the rough nature of the work. The building at left may be for the administration of the mine and assaying the ore. This image introduces a section in The Housebook devoted to mining and smelting. The illustrations in this section are the earliest surviving portrayals of a process for separating silver from copper.

back to Mercury