Ornament with Morris Dancers

c. 1490/1500

Israhel van Meckenem

Associated Names
Israhel van Meckenem

Artist, German, c. 1445 - 1503

This is a drawing of a scene with fantastical elements surrounded by ornate foliage. The composition is a black and white engraving, featuring swirling vine-like details. At its center is a standing figure in flowing robes and a tall headdress, surrounded by smaller figures in dynamic poses. The background is filled with ornamental foliage patterns, creating a sense of movement. The drawing is in the style of Martin Schongauer, known for detailed engravings blending human figures with vegetal ornamentation.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Accession Number

    1947.7.186

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Lehrs, Vol. 9, p.457, no. 617, State i/ii

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(William Schab, New York); purchased by Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], 1947; gift to NGA, 1947.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1965

  • Drolleries and Demons: Six Centuries of 'Fantastic' Prints, IBM Gallery, New York, NY, 1965, no. 3 (as "Ornament with Grotesque Figures").

1967

  • Fifteenth Century Engravings of Northern Europe from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., NGA, 1967-1968, no. 247, repro.

1990

  • Gardens on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1200-1900, NGA, 1990, no. 25, repro.

1997

  • Love and War: A Manual for Life in the Late Middle Ages, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1998-1999.

Bibliography

1908

  • Lehrs, Max. Geschichte und kritischer Katalog des deutschen, niederlandischen und franzosischen Kupferstichs im XV. Jahrhundert. 9 vols. and 1 plate vol. Vienna: Gesellschaft fur vervielfaltigende Kunst, 1908-1934.

1949

  • Hollstein, F.W.H. et al. German engravings, etchings and woodcuts ca. 1400-1700. 8 vols. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberger, 1954-1868. Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts, ca. 1450-1700. Vols. I-XV, XVIII, XIX. Amsterdam: Menno Hertzberge

1967

  • Shestack, Alan. Fifteenth Century Engravings of Northern Europe from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.. Exh. cat. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1967: no. 247.

1990

  • Clayton, Virginia Tuttle. Gardens on Paper: Prints and Drawings, 1200-1900. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1990: no. 25.

Watermarks

high crown

Wikidata ID

Q65073760

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