The Censer
<p>Although best known now for his engravings, Martin Schongauer was initially a goldsmith as well as a painter. The extraordinary detail of his early <em>Censer</em> suggests either a design for a planned commission, or a close replica of an existing one. Censers were ornate sculptured objects used in Catholic churches to distribute clouds of incense during Mass by swinging them back and forth on long chains. This one is covered with a heavenly host and boasts numerous openwork areas to allow the clouds of smoke to emerge.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1450
- Dimensions
- Image: 25.8 × 20.7 cm (10 3/16 × 8 3/16 in.); Sheet, trimmed within plate: 30.2 × 20.7 cm (11 15/16 × 8 3/16 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Martin Schongauer
Artist
Painting
Martin Schongauer, also known as Martin Schön or Hübsch Martin by his contemporaries, was an Alsatian engraver and painter. He was the most important printmaker north of the Alps before Albrecht Dürer, a younger artist who collected his work. Schongauer is the first German painter to be a significant engraver, although he seems to have had the family background and training in goldsmithing which was usual for early engravers.
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More by Martin Schongauer
Second Foolish Virgin
1490 · engraving
Fourth Wise Virgin
1490 · engraving
The Archangel Gabriel
1490 · engraving
First Wise Virgin
1490 · engraving
The Angel of Saint Matthew
1490 · engraving
The Eagle of Saint John
1490 · engraving
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Martin Schongauer
- Year
- 1450
- Dimensions
- Image: 25.8 × 20.7 cm (10 3/16 × 8 3/16 in.); Sheet, trimmed within plate: 30.2 × 20.7 cm (11 15/16 × 8 3/16 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1450-022811
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified