Description
Israhel van Meckenem's Etchings
Israhel van Meckenem (c 1445 - 1503) was the most prolific engraver of the 15th century. The delicacy of his engravings show his early training as a goldsmith. He worked with Master E. S. (an unidentified engraver) for some time. Many of van Meckenem's engravings are actually copies of others at the time, including Master E. S., Durer, Schongauer, and other German engravers. In the end, he had produced over 600 plates, most of which were copies. These 600 plates make up about 20% of all those produced by Northern European engravers during his working years.
In addition to mastering the production of plates, he also seems to have been very good at distributing them, as there is evidence of his plates being reworked and many surviving impressions.
The exact printing date of the prints for sale here is unknown. They are on woven paper, which first appeared in the late 1700s, giving this as an earliest possible date.