Griffin

Martin Schongauer

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

A combination of an eagle and an ox, this griffin departs from traditional representations in which it is shown as part eagle, part lion. Martin Schongauer imparted a great deal of majesty and naturalism to this mythical beast, whose depiction is more effective than many of the artist’s images of animals from the natural world. The self-assured draftsmanship in this late work reveals Schongauer’s artistic maturity; most telling is the shape and texture of the feathers, which are suggested with a few bold strokes.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.

Metropolitan Museum of Art