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Object Timeline

1946

  • We acquired this object.

2015

2016

2024

  • You found it!

Print, Plate, from a series of designs for ewers and vessels

This is a Print. It was print maker: Cornelis Floris II and published by Hieronymus Cock. It is dated 1548 and we acquired it in 1946. Its medium is engraving on white laid paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

This engraving by the artist Cornelis Floris shows a fantastical ewer composed of a large snail shell, snakes, a dragon and four bearded men. It is a plate from a suite of twenty one designs for vases with grotesque decorations printed in 1548 by the Antwerp publisher Hieronymous Cock. In the mid-sixteenth century, many Northern European artists competed to produce designs for bizarre and inventive table vessels. These could be executed in precious metals or wood, although many remained as exercises in imagination. Ornament prints such as these were copied by artisans working in different media, and were responsible for disseminating various decorative styles. Floris was a Flemish sculptor, engraver and architect who traveled to Rome sometime in the 1530’s and 40’s, where he was exposed to grotesque motifs through new archeological discoveries as well as contemporary Italian design. Upon return to Flanders, his workshop contributed significantly to the Northern Renaissance by producing work in the exuberant Italian Mannerist style.

It is credited Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John Innes Kane.

  • Print, Ewer with Handle
  • engraving on white laid paper.
  • Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John Innes Kane.
  • 1946-3-4

Our curators have highlighted 5 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:

  • Square (USA)
  • Warp x Weft: 89.5 x 91 cm (35 1/4 x 35 13/16 in.) H x W (block size): 25.4 ×....
  • Gift of Harvey Smith.
  • 1968-135-116

Its dimensions are

22.7 x 15.6 cm (8 15/16 x 6 1/8 in.) Mat: 45.7 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14 in.)

Cite this object as

Print, Plate, from a series of designs for ewers and vessels; Published by Hieronymus Cock (Netherlandish, ca. 1510 - 1570); Print Maker: Cornelis Floris II (Flemish, ca. 1513–14 – 1575); Netherlands; engraving on white laid paper; 22.7 x 15.6 cm (8 15/16 x 6 1/8 in.) Mat: 45.7 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John Innes Kane; 1946-3-3

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Fragile Beasts.

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<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18378449/ |title=Print, Plate, from a series of designs for ewers and vessels |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=24 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>