The Renaissance Engraver at Work

The Renaissance Engraver at Work explores the rapid development of engraving in Renaissance Europe, from the 15th to the 17th century. Using only a burin, copperplate, ink, paper and a press, artists developed a rich visual language of lines, dots and grooves to represent tone, texture and volume. The exhibition follows the spread of engraving from the Rhine region to Florence, Nuremberg, Venice, Antwerp, Rome and Paris. Drawn entirely from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s collection, it features rare and important early engravings and highlights the innovations, beauty and optical effects that shaped the medium.

Credits : Battle of the Nudes, 1470s–80s. Antonio del Pollaiuolo (Italian, 1431/32–1498).