Who painted Copy of a design for a ewer?

Copy of a design for a ewer was painted by Unknown in 1550.

Where can I see Copy of a design for a ewer?

Copy of a design for a ewer is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

Artwork

Copy of a design for a ewer

Copy of a design for a ewer is a drawing by Unknown. It dates from 1550 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. This drawing reproduces a 16th‑century design for a pair of ornamental metal ewers.

About this work

Overview

This drawing reproduces a 16th‑century design for a pair of ornamental metal ewers. The composition presents two vessels placed side by side, each adorned with a mythological scene: the left-hand ewer depicts the Birth of Venus, while the right-hand ewer illustrates the Triumph of Neptune.

Subject & Meaning

The paired images draw on classical mythology to celebrate themes of beauty and power. Venus’s emergence from the sea symbolizes birth and allure, whereas Neptune’s triumph conveys dominion over the waters, a common allegorical pairing in Renaissance decorative arts.

Technique & Style

The draughtsman copied an earlier engraving by René Boyvin, a French printmaker active in the mid‑1500s, employing fine cross‑hatching to render the intricate details of the mythic figures and the ornamental borders of the ewers.

History & Provenance

Contemporary scholarship attributes the underlying designs to Giovanni Battista Rosso, possibly assisted by Léonard Thiry (active 1536–1550).

The original plate belongs to a set of nine unnumbered designs for ewers, cups, salts, and nefs, likely engraved by Boyvin. Contemporary scholarship attributes the underlying designs to Giovanni Battista Rosso, possibly assisted by Léonard Thiry (active 1536–1550). A related copy of one ewer by the same hand also survives, and an impression of Boyvin’s engraving is held in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Prints and Drawings department.

Context

During the Renaissance, metalwork designs were frequently circulated as engraved plates, allowing artisans to reproduce elaborate motifs for silver or gold vessels. The inclusion of mythological subjects reflects the period’s fascination with classical antiquity and its integration into decorative objects.