Two Shields Supported by a Wild Man, 15th century, Martin Schongauer, German, c. 1440/53–1491, 3 × 3 1/16 in. (7.62 × 7.78 cm) (sheet, diameter)10 5/8 × 8 1/4 in. (26.99 × 20.96 cm) (mat), Engraving, Germany, 15th century, This furry fellow crowned with a wreath of vines is a wild man, a creature from just beyond the edge of civilization. He holds two shields that are similar to the symbols that families used to mark their property and their station in life in the late 1400s, when this engraving was made. Here the hare and the bust of the African youth are probably generic rather than truly symbols of any particular family. Martin Schongauer, one of the leading German artists of his time, made engravings such as this to offer inspiration to silversmiths, painters, and other craftsmen who needed ideas for their own designs.
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