Double Goblet with Acanthus-Leaves 1500 - 1538

Albrecht Altdorfer created this engraving, Double Goblet with Acanthus-Leaves, in the 16th century, during the German Renaissance. Altdorfer lived in a time of immense social upheaval, including the Reformation, and was deeply involved in the artistic and intellectual debates of his time. In the 16th century, the production of elaborate objects like this goblet was associated with wealth and power, reflecting both social status and the sophisticated tastes of the elite. The double goblet, adorned with classical acanthus leaves, would have served as a display of cultural capital, alluding to both humanist interests and a celebration of earthly pleasures. The delicate lines of the engraving offer a tangible sense of this era's complex interplay between the sacred and the secular, where beauty and craftsmanship were intertwined with social and religious identities. This work creates a unique emotional resonance and highlights the contradictions of the Renaissance.