Israhel van Meckenem the Younger
afterMaster of the Housebook ?

Seven Children at Play, ca. 1480

Blatt: height: 112 mm
Batt: width: 139 mm

Physical Description: Engraving

Inventory Number: 56047

Object Number: 56047 D

Acquisition: Acquired in 1875

Status: Can be presented in the study room of the Graphische Sammlung (special opening hours)

Texts

About the Work

Children’s games were among the entertaining motifs by the Master of the Housebook, but this depiction has come down to us only from Israhel van Meckenem. The anatomical distortions are an indication that Israhel himself—who was technically adept but had never trained as a draughtsman—composed this engraving himself. He created it as a companion piece to a print of the same size showing children bathing and probably copied from the Housebook Master.

Work Data

Basic Information

Title: Seven Children at Play

Engraver

Israhel van Meckenem the Younger

Inventor

after Master of the Housebook ?

Period Produced

15th century

Object Type

art print

Physical Description: Engraving

Material

Vergé paper

Technique

copperplate engraving

Geographic Reference

German

Label at the Time of Manufacture: Monogrammiert in der Platte unten mittig: ° I ° M °

Captions Added Later: Verso bezeichnet (mit Bleistift): 188 / chiari [?] / 30 / a [?] / chiari [?] 3d [30?] / N. 188
Verso mittig rechts blauer Stempel der Sammlung Friedrich Kalle, Köln und Bonn (Lugt 1021)
Verso unten links Stempel des Städelschen Kunstinstituts, Frankfurt am Main (Lugt 2356), mit zugehöriger Inventarnummer

Watermark