Design for a Cartouche and Representation of 'Sight', Plate 2 from 'Neu Inventierte auf die artigste Facon Sehr nutzliche Schild.'

Art Historical Context

This elegant etching, created around 1750–56, comes from a German album of ornamental designs titled *Neu Inventierte auf die artigste Facon Sehr nutzliche Schild*. Plate 2 presents both a fanciful cartouche—an ornate frame meant for inscriptions or coats of arms—and a symbolic scene representing the sense of “Sight.” The composition likely features the mythological figure Narcissus gazing at his reflection, a classic motif used to illustrate vision and self-perception. Printed using the etching technique, the work showcases the fine, precise lines and delicate shading typical of mid-eighteenth-century decorative prints. Artists such as Johannes Rumpp, Johann Georg Pintz, and publisher Martin Engelbrecht collaborated on these pattern books, which served as practical resources for craftsmen, goldsmiths, and architects seeking stylish motifs for furniture, architecture, and luxury objects. Today housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this sheet reflects the period’s fascination with the five senses and the Rococo taste for playful, elaborate ornament. Such albums helped spread inventive designs across Europe, turning everyday functional objects into small works of art.

About the Artist

Johannes Rumpp|Johann Georg Pintz|Martin Engelbrecht (German|German|Central European) · 1712 |1684 |1730 –1771 |1756 |1750

German, 1712–1771|German, Augsburg 1684–1756 Augsburg|Central European, active Augsburg ca. 1730-1750