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Italian

Knot Pattern (The Fifth Knot), ca. 1495–1498

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Italian

Title

Knot Pattern (The Fifth Knot)

Year

ca. 1495–1498

Medium

Engraving on cream laid paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • engraving

Supports

  • medium weight cream wove paper

Dimensions

Plate: 26.4 x 19.8 cm (10 3/8 x 7 13/16 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Vincent Mayer collector mark in brown ink on verso (lugt 2525).Alfred Morrison collector mark in black ink on verso (lugt 151).Unidentified mark in violet on verso (lugt 2368b).British Museum Printroom collector mark in black ink on verso (lugt 305 & 303).HANDBOOK: The word portrayed in the center of this elaborate engraving---"Vi(n)ci"---may allude to two things---the birthplace of the artist Leonardo da Vinci and the Latin verb vincire, 'to bind.' Da Vinci probably created the design for the print, one of six knot patterns associated with him and subsequently engraved by an unknown artist. The knot pattern held a theoretical interest for Da Vinci and his artistic coterie in Mantua. A knot conveyed both clarity and complexity while providing an elegant metaphor for the concept of infinity. Da Vinci also revered the circle as the most perfect geometric shape. The intricate, dark background of the engraving required the engraver to cut the plate with painstakingly dense hatching.

Type

  • Works on Paper,
  • Prints

Credit

Museum Works of Art Fund

Object Number

47.666

Projects & Publications

Publications

Object of Ornament

European Design
Read Online

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

The Brilliant Line

September 18, 2009 - January 3, 2010

Engravings of the 15th and 16th Centuries

November 10, 1948 - February 4, 1949

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Knot Pattern (The Fifth Knot) with the accession number of 47.666. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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