Schenkkan met nimf als handvat 1628 - 1732

This print, ‘Schenkkan met nimf als handvat,’ shows a design for a ewer, made anonymously, and it’s difficult to say exactly when. Look closely, and you can see the artist has rendered the vessel’s elaborate form using precise, hatched lines. The handle is formed by a nymph, and the body of the ewer is decorated with frolicking figures and animals. The artist wasn’t simply representing an object, but also showing how it might be manufactured. Prints like this one circulated widely, allowing designs to be shared and adapted by artisans across Europe. What's fascinating here is the intersection of design and craft. The ewer is conceived as a unique object, almost a sculpture, yet its purpose is utilitarian. This tension is characteristic of the period, when the boundaries between art, craft, and industry were becoming increasingly blurred. The print itself reflects this, as a multiple produced through skilled labor, intended for the consumption of a design-conscious audience.