Oval Case Decorated with Schweifwerk in Two Variants, Surrounded by Smaller Motifs, Flowers and Two Birds Below

Oval Case Decorated with Schweifwerk in Two Variants, Surrounded by Smaller Motifs, Flowers and Two Birds Below

Jacques Hurtu

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

In this very sophisticated example of the use of blackwork, Jacques Hurtu presents a decorated oval pendant, which could be the model for a watch case, or (portrait) medallion. In the oval itself he shows two variants for the Schweifwerk pattern. Four smaller motifs in blackwork, which represent parts of rings, are placed in the four corners of the sheet. Around the pendant Hurtu has used engraved lines to add other decorative motifs such as flowers and fruits. On the bottom of the sheet he depicted two birds which are both fixated on a small butterfly in the middle.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Oval Case Decorated with Schweifwerk in Two Variants, Surrounded by Smaller Motifs, Flowers and Two Birds BelowOval Case Decorated with Schweifwerk in Two Variants, Surrounded by Smaller Motifs, Flowers and Two Birds BelowOval Case Decorated with Schweifwerk in Two Variants, Surrounded by Smaller Motifs, Flowers and Two Birds BelowOval Case Decorated with Schweifwerk in Two Variants, Surrounded by Smaller Motifs, Flowers and Two Birds BelowOval Case Decorated with Schweifwerk in Two Variants, Surrounded by Smaller Motifs, Flowers and Two Birds Below

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.