Drawing, Design for a Gilded Silver Bowl or Plate

Hornick was one of the leading and most prolific goldsmiths active in Nuremberg and Augsburg in the middle of the 16th century. He was appointed court goldsmith to Emperor Rudolf II in 1582, and thus also worked in Prague. The most important holdings of Hornick's drawings are the collection of the Princes of Lichtenstein (according to the dealer, the provenance of this drawing); the Victoria and Albert Museum acquired a codex of 275 drawings in 1867; and 13 sheets in the Oesterreichisches Museum in Vienna.
The Cooper-Hewitt has very few metalwork designs prior to 1600, especially by Northern artisans and designers. The most notable drawing is Wenzel von Olmutz (active 1481-1498 in Augsburg and Nuremberg), Design for Silver Centerpiece, c. 1498 (1944-9-1) CHM also has a few prints by M. Zundt and W. Jamnitzer, who were important contemporaries of Hornick in establishing an ornamental vocabulary for metalwork. Otherwise we really have nothing to anchor the more numerous designs of the 17th and 18th century (Italian and Northern) which can be found in the collection. This particular drawing provides important insights into how such designs were made and combined, and how such designs were used for reference to be made into pattern book prints or actual objects. For its period, the lovely drawing is in very good condition. It also has a wonderful watermark, similar to those found in Brussels in the 1550s. The price is characteristic for a drawing of this type and period. Recommend acquisition.

Drawing, Design for a Gilded Silver Bowl or Plate; Erasmus Hornick; Germany; pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash over black chalk with inscribed compass lines on off-white laid paper laid down; Overall: 44.5 x 29.2 cm (17 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John Innes Kane; 1993-8-1