Shallow Round Dish on tall Pedestal Decorated with Fruit and Female Masks

Art Historical Context

In the vibrant world of 16th-century Antwerp, artist and engraver Erasmus Hornickactive mid-1500s) created this intricate drawing, *Shallow Round Dish on Pedestal Decorated with and Female Masks*. Rendered in pen and black ink with subtle brush-applied gray and yellow washes the work measures 16 3/8 x 11 3/8 inches and captures a fantastical maiolica-style dish elevated on a slender pedestal. Lush fruits—evoking abundance and the Renaissance fascination with nature—intertwine with enigmatic female masks, blending classical grotesques with playful ornamentation. Hornick, a key figure in the Antwerp print trade, likely produced this as a preparatory design for luxury ceramics, metalwork, or reproductive prints, reflecting the era's booming decorative arts market. The technique showcases masterful line work for precise contours and washes for tonal depth and golden highlights, mimicking the luster of real earthenware. Such motifs drew from Italian Renaissance influences, imported via trade routes, symbolizing fertility, beauty, and the grotesque—whimsical faces peering from foliage. Acquired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art through the Rogers Fund in 1958, this drawing offers a window into Northern Europe's craft renaissance, where designs like this fueled workshops producing opulent tableware for elite patrons. Visitors will appreciate its delicate balance of whimsy and technical prowess, a testament to Hornick's role bridging art and industry.