Vertical Panel with Design for a Pendant, from Ars His Myronis Nobilis Effingitus Pagellulis 1595 - 1605

Editor: This intricate engraving, “Vertical Panel with Design for a Pendant,” made between 1595 and 1605 by Paul Birckenhultz, features a vase overflowing with flora. The design feels both ornamental and quite dense. What are your initial thoughts when you see it? Curator: I see the value in examining the materials and labor that went into producing this engraving. How were these prints circulated, and who had access to them? Were they tools for artisans, part of a larger system of production? Editor: That's a fascinating way to approach it. I hadn't considered the print's function in that way. The level of detail makes it feel precious. Do you think it blurs the lines between high art and craft? Curator: Absolutely. In focusing on its function as a design template, we can challenge the established hierarchies of art. The material reality of the print—the ink, the paper, the process of engraving—highlights the labor involved. We must ask, what kind of workshops would use a print like this, and how did its usage reflect social class divisions during the Italian Renaissance? How does understanding that materiality change our perception of it today? Editor: That makes me rethink its purpose completely. Instead of viewing it as solely decorative, I see it as a functional tool within a broader manufacturing context. Curator: Exactly! Understanding the means of production allows us to reassess its place in society, both then and now, and even appreciate it aesthetically. Editor: I appreciate how your approach to this engraving helps it shed the museum "precious" object label, and come to life as a commodity from another era.