New Künstlichs Modelbuch (Page 39 recto)

Art Historical Context

Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, where we encounter *New Künstlichs Model (Page 39 recto)* by Bernhard Jobin, a woodcut from 1600. Jobin, a prolific printer based in Strasbourg, created this "New Artistic Pattern Book" during the late Renaissance, a time when printed model books revolutionized design dissemination across Europe. These volumes served as treasure troves for artisans—goldsmiths, engr, and architects—offering repeatable motifs for everything from jewelry to facades. Measuring a compact 6 5/16 x 8 1/4 inches, this page exemplifies the woodcut medium's efficiency: carved into wood blocks and inked for relief printing, it allowed affordable mass production of intricate patterns. Classified under Ornament & Architecture, page 39 recto likely showcases elaborate decorative elements, blending geometric precision with flourishing scrolls typical of the era's ornamental style. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1919, it highlights how such books bridged artistic innovation and craft, influencing Mannerist and early Baroque aesthetics. Today, this artifact reminds us of printmaking's role in democratizing design, turning a single artist's vision into widespread inspiration for Europe's creative workshops. A delightful glimpse into 17th-century ingenuity!

About the Artist

Bernhard Jobin · 1535–1597

Bernhard Jobin, born before 1545 in Porrentruy in the Swiss canton of Jura, emerged as a pivotal figure in the Strasbourg printing world. Trained as a Formschneider—a skilled woodblock cutter—he acquired Strasbourg citizenship in 1560 as a typesetter and joined the printers' guild, marking the start of his professional ascent. In 1567, he married Anna Fischart, sister of the renowned writer Johann...