A Censer, ca. 1475

About the Work

Martin Schongauer’s ‘Censer’ is a technical masterwork of engraving that consummately represents the abundance of extremely fine details, the functionality of the chains, and the light reflecting off the metallic surface as well as the object’s three-dimensionality and volume. Here on view in a superb impression, the sheet moreover programmatically lays claim to a status equal to that of the arts of painting, sculpture, architecture, and goldsmithery.