Promptuarium Artis Argentariae
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Overall: 14 5/8 × 10 3/16 × 1 3/8 in. (37.1 × 25.9 × 3.5 cm)
Classification
Books
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1924
Accession Number
24.70.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
Giovanni Giardini’s *Promptuarium Artis Argentariae* (1750) is a finely etched volume that served as both a practical design manual and an artistic showcase. Created through the delicate medium of etching, the book presents intricate ornamental motifs—ranging from figures of men and angels to crosses and flowing foliage—intended to guide silversmiths and metalworkers in their craft. Its compact yet elegant dimensions reflect the portable nature of such pattern books, which circulated among artisans across Europe during the mid-eighteenth century. As a work classified among the Metropolitan Mu...