Master of the Playing Cards

German, active c. 1430/1455

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German engraver (fl. 1430s-1450s)

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Printed with fine black lines on cream-white paper, a man wearing a knee-length tunic and reading from a piece of unfolded paper faces our right against a mostly blank background in this vertical engraving. The man's right shoulder, closer to us, is angled in a way that suggests his torso is turned slightly away from us even though his feet and face are shown in profile. A narrow wreath is almost lost in his dense curls, and he has a straight nose and prominent chin. His fur-lined tunic is belted low across his hips, and a dagger hangs from his belt. His pointed clog-like shoes seem to slip onto his feet like sandals, and he stands on a grassy field in an otherwise empty space. Creases in the paper he holds suggests it had been folded into nine sections.
Master of the Playing Cards, A Poet Reading, 1430s, engraving on laid paper, Gift of Ladislaus and Beatrix von Hoffmann, 1999.26.1

A Poet Reading

Master of the Playing Cards · 1430s · engraving on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1999.26.1

German 15th Century, Vine Ornament with Two Birds, c. 1440/1450, engraving on laid paper, Rosenwald Collection, 1950.17.206

Vine Ornament with Two Birds

German 15th Century · c. 1440/1450 · engraving on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1950.17.206

German 15th Century, The Crowning with Thorns, c. 1440/1450, engraving on laid paper, Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.5835

The Crowning with Thorns

German 15th Century · c. 1440/1450 · engraving on laid paper ·  Accession ID  1943.3.5835