'Virtuosos Of Copperplate', Museum of Fine Arts, Until 2 March

The oldest plates to be featured in the exhibition are the works of Italian and German masters (Andrea Mantegna, Antonio Pollaiuolo, Martin Schongauer, Israhel van Meckenem) from the second half of the 15th century. The majority of works originate from the 16th century, the most productive period of copper plate.

Amongst the German masters the most notable are Albrecht Dürer, Heinrich Aldegrever and Lucas Cranach. From the Dutch masters Lucas van Leyden, Hendrick Goltzius, Jan Saenredam, Aegidius Sadeler, Jacob Matham and Jan Muller are featured. Italian works are primarily represented by Marcantonio Raimondi, Giorgio Ghisi, Jacopo de’Barbari and Marco Dente, while Jean Duvet and the masters of the Fontainebleau School represent France.

The following two centuries mainly saw the creation of reproductive graphics and the exhibition selects from the prints of the Carraci family, prints made from the paintings of Rubens and from French portrait prints. The outstanding master of the 18th century was the Englishman William Hogarth, of whom the museum holds numerous prints. The exhibition will present the mezzotinto technique, mainly used by artists in the 18th century.

During the 19th and 20th centuries other reproductive graphic techniques came to the fore and thus the technique of copper plate became irrelevant. Consequently the exhibition touches works from four centuries, closing in the 18th century. Books illustrated with copper plate will be displayed alongside the prints, making the exhibition complete.

Visitors will also be able to see the tools of technique and the phases of working copper plate."

Source: Budapestinfo