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Five German soldiers

Etching
ca. 1910 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Hopfer, Daniel (artist)
Place of origin
London (printed)

This etching is what is called a 'late impression', printed a long time after the plate was originally etched. As long as a printing plate is looked after and not allowed to become corroded or warped, it will still be possibe to print from it years, or even centuries, later. When a painter or draftsman dies, the possibility of producing more examples of his work dies with him. Not so with a printmaker.

Object details

Categories
Prints
Musical Instruments
Clothing
Arms & Armour
Architectural Fittings
Designs
Printmaking Techniques
Object type
Etching
TitleFive German soldiers (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Etching on paper
Printing Ink
Etching
Brief description
Etching. Daniel Hopfer. Five German Soldiers, modern impression taken from original early 16th century German iron printing plate.
Physical description
Five soldiers in a row.
Dimensions
  • Height: 20.6cm
  • Width: 38.1cm
Gallery label
(1983)
Daniel Hopfer, an armourer of Augsburg, is thought to have been one of the first craftsmen to etch plates to print on paper. The earliest plates were made of steel or iron, the materials with which the armourers were accustomed to work. Copper plates were introduced in about 1520.

Printmaking Techniques Gallery, Henry Cole Wing
Production
This late impression possibly printed at the time the plate, E.6292-1910, entered the V &A's collection in 1910.
Subjects depicted
Warfare
Costume
Dog (Animal)
Standard-Bearers
Summary
This etching is what is called a 'late impression', printed a long time after the plate was originally etched. As long as a printing plate is looked after and not allowed to become corroded or warped, it will still be possibe to print from it years, or even centuries, later. When a painter or draftsman dies, the possibility of producing more examples of his work dies with him. Not so with a printmaker.
Bibliographic reference
Patterson, Angus, Fashion and Armour in Renaissance Europe: Proud Lookes and Brave Attire, V&A Publishing, London, 2009, ISBN 9781851775811, p. 37, ill.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.6292A-1910

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Record createdDecember 18, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O72152/five-german-soldiers-etching-hopfer-daniel/
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