deem-data/ArtiFact huggingface dataset:
Stamp seal (conoid) with cultic scene
Object type: stamp seal
Date: 734 – 501
Materials: stone
Culture: assyro-babylonian
Location: mesopotamia
Subjects: men
Artikel uit archief Jan Veth
Object type: article
Materials: paper
Techniques: printing
Artist: chap van deventer
Artist role: kunstcriticus, scheikundige, schrijver
Artist dates: 1860 – 1931
Subjects: painter, print maker, draughtsman, jozef israëls, jan veth, criticizing and discussing art, art criticism, painting (including book-illumination, miniature-painting)
Inscriptions: collector's mark: ‘RPK’
Toneeldecors van de nieuwe Amsterdamse Schouwburg, 1775-1777
Object type: print
Date: 1775 – 1775
Materials: paper
Techniques: engraving, etching
Location: amsterdam
Subjects: paris, voltaire, theatre, theatrical performance, stage design
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 240

Het coulissendecor De Italiaansche Straat, met een scène uit: Wedergevonden zoon. Onderdeel van een serie van zes toneeldecors van toneelstukken opgevoerd in de nieuwe Amsterdamse Schouwburg uit de jaren 1775-1777.
Silver jug
Object type: jug
Date: 600 – 600
Materials: silver
Culture: cypriot

This squat form of jug is well represented in contemporary terracotta examples. This vessel shape was popular in terracotta; this is the only known example in silver.
Round tray with decoration of dragons and clouds
Object type: tray
Date: 1601 – 1800
Materials: lacquer, mother of pearl
Techniques: inlay
Culture: japanese or ryukyuan
Subjects: dragons
St. Gregory (copy)
Object type: print
Date: 1511 – 1511
Techniques: hand coloring, woodcut
Artist: hans baldung (called hans baldung grien)
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: german
Artist dates: 1484 – 1545
Subjects: books,men,popes,saints
Head of a Man (from Sketchbook)
Object type: drawing
Date: 1854 – 1855
Materials: graphite, paper
Culture: american
Artist: james mcneill whistler
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: american
Artist dates: 1834 – 1903
Subjects: heads,men
Gezicht op de haven van Granville, Frankrijk
Object type: photograph
Date: 1860 – 1880
Materials: paper, photographic support
Techniques: albumen print
Location: france
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: granville
Inscriptions: annotation: ‘Granville / 27 juin / 78 / Manche [?] 326 [...]’
The dog in the manger
Object type: print
Materials: paper
Techniques: wood engraving
Location: london
Subjects: fable of the frog and the cow, bovine cattle, dog

Prent uit: The baby's own Aesop being the fables condensed in rhyme. Londen: Routledge & Sons, 1887. Of een latere uitgave.
The Kangxi Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour, Scroll Three: Ji'nan to Mount Tai
Object type: handscroll
Materials: ink, silk
Culture: chinese
Artist: wang hui
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: chinese
Artist dates: 1632 – 1717
Subjects: mountains,landscapes

In 1689 the Kangxi emperor (r. 1662 – 1722), a Manchu whose forebears had conquered China in 1644, made a grand tour to consolidate his authority over southern China. The renowned landscapist Wang Hui was commissioned to record the journey in a series of twelve oversize handscrolls. This scroll, the third in the set, highlights the emperor’s visit to Mount Tai, China’s “Sacred Peak of the East.” Although Wang based his design on maps and woodblock prints — he never visited the mountain — he also connected specific sites with imaginary landscape passages inspired by classical precedents and employed a traditional “blue-and-green” palette to underscore the emperor’s beneficent rule.
Sketch of Boats on a Shore (from Sketchbook)
Object type: drawing
Date: 1890 – 1890
Materials: graphite, paper
Culture: american
Artist: albert bierstadt
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: american
Artist dates: 1830 – 1902
Subjects: hills,trees,boats
Mlle Mylo d'Arcylle
Object type: page
Date: 1897 – 1902
Materials: paper
Techniques: photograph
Location: paris
Subjects: portrait of actor, actress
Inscriptions: inscription: ‘du Théâtre de l'Olympia’
Design for a Necklace
Object type: design
Date: 1912 – 1912
Materials: paint, paper
Techniques: brush
Artist: mathieu lauweriks
Artist role: designer, draughtsman, print maker
Artist dates: 1864 – 1932
Subjects: necklace (+ women's clothes)
Inscriptions: date: ‘1912’

This is one of the few presentation drawings from the estates of Lauweriks and Zwollo. It features a fully developed design of a necklace against a black background. Large jewellery houses still commission drawings like this for new collections, partly to show to customers but also to create an archival record of the jewels they have made.
Yorkshire Hieroglyphics, Plate 1
Object type: print
Techniques: etching
Artist: thomas rowlandson
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: british
Artist dates: 1757 – 1827
Subjects: satire,hieroglyphs,politics
Aureum opus de veritate contritionis
Object type: book
Artist: johannes ludovicus vivaldus
Artist role: author
Artist nationality: italian
Artist dates: 1440 – 1540
Subjects: men,christ,coat of arms
Portret van Orcan Persarum Rex
Object type: print
Date: 1650 – 1670
Materials: paper
Techniques: engraving
Location: antwerp
Subjects: head-gear: turban
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Portret van Orcan Persarum Rex, met een bevelhebberstaf in zijn hand en een tulband op zijn hoofd.
Nova raccolta de li animali piu curiosi del mondo
Object type: print
Date: 1575 – 1630
Materials: paper
Techniques: etching
Location: rome
Subjects: water-birds: goose, cat, mis-shapen animals; monsters
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 2760, collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Deze prent maakt deel uit van een reeks prenten van dieren door Antonio Tempesta. Bekend is dat een tweede staat (met nummering) van deze serie is uitgegeven door Giovanni Giacomo de' Rossi in 1650. Onbekend is wie de eerste staat heeft uitgegeven en wanneer.
Musical Glasses
Object type: musical glass
Date: 1825 – 1889
Materials: wood
Culture: american
Location: united states
Egyptische waterdrager
Object type: print
Date: 1922 – 1922
Materials: paper
Techniques: etching, intaglio
Artist: marius bauer
Artist role: draughtsman, print maker
Artist dates: 1867 – 1932
Subjects: wandering or travelling merchant
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Een man draagt een kruik met water op zijn borst.
Tapijt met een afbeelding van de Aanbidding der Koningen
Object type: page
Date: 1880 – 1881
Materials: paper
Techniques: photograph
Location: barcelona
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: adoration of the kings: the wise men present their gifts to the christ-child (gold, frankincense and myrrh), carpet, rug
Inscriptions: number: ‘Pl 20’
Ex libris van Pierre Edmond Lévy
Object type: bookplate
Date: 1920 – 1969
Materials: paper
Techniques: etching
Location: paris
Artist: c.l. brossé
Artist role: print maker
Subjects: reading, woman (showing herself) undressed, quasi-nude
Isola Bella. Lago Maggiore
Object type: ansichtkaart, prentbriefkaart
Date: 1905 – 1909
Materials: cardboard
Techniques: photograph, writing
Location: lake maggiore
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: island, lake, mountains
Soepterrine met deksel van aardewerk
Object type: soup tureen
Date: 1740 – 1760
Materials: earthenware
Location: straatsburg
Artist: Anonymous

Soepterrine met deksel van aardewerk. De ovale terrine met gewelfde wand en lage gegolfde voet is versierd met twee bouquetten, waarvan één is samengesteld uit een paarse tulp, een paarse roos en een tak blauwe en gele bloemen en groene bladeren en de andere uit een roos, twee asters en een takje gele en blauwe bloemen. In de lengte-as in rocaille, vormen twee oren met paarsachtige bladeren. Het gewelfde en gegolfde deksel heeft een overeenkomstig decor en is bekroond door een paarse en gele vrucht aan een steel met lichtgroene bladeren. Het glazuur is enigszins kalkachtig. Geen merken.
Bowl
Object type: bowl
Date: 850 – 750
Materials: terracotta
Culture: cypriot
Plate
Object type: plate
Date: 1780 – 1780
Materials: hard paste porcelain
Artist: nymphenburg porcelain manufactory
Artist role: manufactory
Artist nationality: german
Artist dates: 1747 – 9999
Subjects: rivers,trees
Evening
Object type: print
Date: 1894 – 1894
Materials: paper
Techniques: aquatint, engraving, etching, printing, roulette
Location: france
Artist: armand séguin
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: french
Artist dates: 1869 – 1904
Ruitertafereel op Koninklijke Houtvesterij Het Loo: ruiters en publiek op een landweg, man betrapt de fotograaf
Object type: album leaf
Date: 1900 – 1925
Materials: photographic support
Techniques: gelatin silver print
Location: het loo
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: adult woman, hunting, chase, hunting-ground, forest path or lane

Onderdeel van Fotoalbum van de heer Brams, opperhoutvester van koningin Wilhelmina op Koninklijke Houtvesterij Het Loo.
Portret van Gottfried Less
Object type: print
Date: 1752 – 1797
Materials: paper
Techniques: engraving
Subjects: poland, theologian, ornament ~ medallion, historical persons, ornament ~ festoon, garland
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 2228
Boten
Object type: sketchbook leaf
Date: 1887 – 1887
Materials: chalk, paper
Location: amsterdam
Artist: george hendrik breitner
Artist role: draughtsman, painter, print maker
Artist dates: 1857 – 1923
Subjects: ships (in general)
Inscriptions: annotation: ‘Koopmans, 332 N.Z. Voorburgwal’

Pagina 3 en pagina 4 uit een schetsboek met 12 bladen.
Portret van predikant Jacobus Boon
Object type: print
Date: 1738 – 1772
Materials: paper
Techniques: engraving
Location: northern netherlands
Subjects: amsterdam
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 2760, collector's mark: Lugt 2228
Portret van Frederik Jozias Saksen-Coburg-Saalfeld
Object type: print
Date: 1789 – 1837
Materials: paper
Techniques: engraving
Location: augsburg
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: commander-in-chief, general, marshal, prince, historical persons
Sword (Panabas)
Object type: sword panabas
Date: 1701 – 1900
Materials: steel, wood
Culture: philippine
Location: philippines
Portret van schrijver Melchiorre Gioia
Object type: print
Materials: paper
Techniques: stippling
Location: italy
Subjects: historical persons, writer, poet, author
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 2228
Fotoreproductie van een brief van David Cox aan William Roberts op 12 januari van 1841
Object type: photomechanical print
Date: 1863 – 1873
Materials: paper
Techniques: photoaquatint
Location: london
Subjects: letter, envelope

RP-F-2001-7-66-15 tot en met RP-F-2001-7-66-18 vormen vermoedelijk samen een brief.
Velden met schaduwbomen van thee-onderneming Tjikadjang bij Garvet in Preanger
Object type: photograph
Date: 1900 – 1920
Materials: paper, photographic support
Techniques: gelatin silver print
Location: preanger
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: plantation, field filled with a crop, trees

Onderdeel van reisalbum met foto's van bedrijvigheid en bezienswaardigheden op Sumatra en Java en van de reis naar en van Nederlands-Indië.
Argonauten: Psychische kracht onaantastbaar
Object type: print
Date: 1894 – 1894
Materials: paper
Techniques: woodcut
Artist: karel petrus cornelis de bazel
Artist role: draughtsman, print maker
Artist dates: 1869 – 1923
Subjects: helmet, face, sceptre, staff (symbol of sovereignty), hacking and thrusting weapons: dagger, hacking and thrusting weapons: sword, radiance emanating from persons or things

Een gezicht dat 'Psychische kracht' verbeeldt vaart op een woelige zee tussen het 'hogere' (scepter, staf en gekroond zwaard) en het 'lagere' (handen met dolken). Uit het gehelmde voorhoofd van 'Psychische kracht' komen stralen met daartussen het woord 'Anarchie'.
Kriegsmarine in Scheveningen
Object type: album leaf
Materials: paper, photographic support
Techniques: gelatin silver print
Location: scheveningen
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: the company, the unit, the troop ~ military service, sailor
Inscriptions: inscription: ‘Scheveningen, Okt. 1942 / Heinz Kontrowitz und Felix Kurze’

Albumblad met vijf foto's van matrozen van de Kriegsmarine in Scheveningen in augustus-oktober 1942. Onderdeel van het fotoalbum Kriegsmarine.
West Zaan Overtoom, brandspuitpenning met no. 19
Object type: fire engine medal
Date: 1829 – 1829
Materials: brass
Techniques: engraving
Location: westzaan
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: overtoom, westzaan

Messing penning. Voorzijde: opschrift No. 1 & 5 binnen cirkel en omschrift. Keerzijde: opschrift No. 19 binnen krans van wilgetakken onder jaartal
Jong stel, de vrouw met hoed met veren, wordt gekust op een bankje in een park, door de man die haar begluurde, de andere man nadert , fotoverhaal 3
Object type: photograph
Date: 1899 – 1899
Materials: paper
Techniques: photography
Location: amsterdam
Artist: gerard aalbersberg (us)
Artist role: amateurfotograaf, arts, chirurg, gynaecoloog
Artist dates: 1870 – 1934
Portret van Jean Caylar d'Anduze de Saint-Bonnet
Object type: print
Date: 1610 – 1668
Materials: paper
Techniques: engraving, etching
Location: paris
Subjects: commander-in-chief, general, marshal, historical persons
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 240
Tros witte druiven
Object type: watercolor
Date: 1775 – 1833
Materials: paper, pencil, watercolor
Techniques: brush
Artist: jean bernard
Artist role: draughtsman, print maker
Artist dates: 1765 – 1833
Subjects: bunch of grapes
Bottle
Object type: bottle
Date: 801 – 1000
Materials: glass
Techniques: glassblowing, casting, cutting
Location: iran

The vessel type represented by this piece purchased in Nishapur in eastern Iran is known in English as the "molar flask" due to the distinct, tooth-like form of its base. The molar flask was a popular household item in the Islamic world between the eighth and eleventh centuries, and their wide distribution from Egypt to Iran suggests multiple centers of manufacture. Such vessels were most likely used to hold small amounts of valuable liquid perfumes. Like this bottle and the others found at Nishapur, molar flasks are usually made from monochrome glass and are often embellished with carved decorations. Examples crafted from more expensive materials like fused glass mosaic and even rock crystal are also known.
Begroeting van prinses Beatrix door koningin Juliana op de 21ste verjaardag van de eerste (die daarmee meerderjarig was geworden), op Schiphol, na een reis door Beatrix naar de koloniën in de West
Object type: photograph
Date: 1959 – 1959
Materials: paper, photographic support
Techniques: gelatin silver print
Location: netherlands
Subjects: beatrix (koningin der nederlanden), the hague, juliana of the netherlands
Inscriptions: annotation: ‘Saturday 21st,1959, H.R.H. Pr.Beatrix celebrates / Her 21st birthday and thus attains Her Majority. // Picture from the files: H.M.the Queen welcomes / H.R.H.Pr.Beatrix on airport Schiphol, after the / Voyage of Pr.Beatrix in West Indies. /./ P OTO-ANEFO 28-1-1959’
Sports of a Country Fair, Part the Second
Object type: print
Techniques: etching
Artist: thomas rowlandson
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: british
Artist dates: 1757 – 1827
Subjects: leisure,satire,men,women
Scherf van een voorraadpot uit het wrak van de Oost-Indiëvaarder Hollandia
Object type: storage jar
Date: 1700 – 1743
Materials: stoneware
Location: cologne
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: verenigde oostindische compagnie, hollandia (schip), annet

Stoneware, Rhenish, Langerwehe-ware, storage-jar; fragm of body with medallion-appliqué, sim. NG 1980-27H909.
Stole
Object type: stole
Date: 1876 – 1900
Materials: silk
Culture: spanish
The Castle of Cards
Object type: print
Date: 1744 – 1744
Techniques: engraving, etching
Artist: pierre alexandre aveline
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: french
Artist dates: 1702 – 1760
Subjects: boys,playing cards,tables
Gezicht op de Berkelpoort te Zutphen
Object type: photograph
Date: 1880 – 1915
Materials: cardboard, photographic support
Techniques: collodion silver print
Location: zutphen
Artist: jacobus cornelis kuijper
Artist role: fotograaf
Artist dates: 1852 – 1924
Subjects: watergate
Inscriptions: inscription: ‘Photografie Instantanée/ J.C. Kuijper/ Zutphen/ Boompjeswal en Bornhovestraat E.141’
The theatre
Object type: magazine
Date: 1888 – 1888
Materials: paper
Techniques: printing, woodburytype
Location: london
Artist: clement scott
Artist role: redacteur
Inzetkaart van het Hoogheemraadschap van Delfland
Object type: map
Materials: ink, paper
Techniques: engraving, etching, pen
Location: amsterdam
Subjects: commercial fishery, coat of arms (as symbol of the state, etc.) (+ city; municipal), maps of separate countries or regions, hunting, chase, agriculture, maps of cities, delft
Inscriptions: inscription, collector's mark: Lugt 195

Afgesneden van een proefdruk van een van de bladen (voor latere staat zie RP-P-AO-11-8A-2) van de plattegrond van de zogenaamde Kaart Figuratief (Caerte figuratyff / Kaerte figuratyf) van Delft, een wandkaart van Delft die voor het eerst werd uitgegeven in 1678.

Zie RP-P-AO-11-8A voor meer informatie.
Vrouw met draperie
Object type: sketchbook leaf
Date: 1710 – 1772
Materials: chalk, paper
Artist: petrus johannes van reysschoot
Artist role: draughtsman, print maker
Artist dates: 1702 – 1772
Subjects: anatomy (non-medical), drapery, draped garment, 'gewandgebung'

Blad 67 recto uit een schetsboek met 105 bladen.
Square Dish with Symbols of Longevity and Immortality (Deer, Bats, Fungus, and Clouds) and the Phrase Tian Zhi Mei Lu (Beauty of Heavenly Prosperity)
Object type: vessel
Materials: stoneware
Techniques: molding, underglaze
Location: china
Portret van Karel Theodoor van Beieren in allegorische omlijsting
Object type: print
Date: 1734 – 1779
Materials: paper
Techniques: engraving, etching
Location: holy roman empire
Artist: Anonymous
Subjects: brussels, karel theodoor van beieren (hertog), rocaille ornament, armour, historical persons, ruler, sovereign, symbols, allegories of war; 'guerra' (ripa), insignia and symbols of sovereignty (crown, diadem, sceptre, orb, seal, standard, cloak, pectoral)
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 2228
Staircase in the Palazzo Barberini, Palestrina
Object type: drawing
Date: 1734 – 1766
Materials: chalk, ink
Techniques: brush, heightening, pen, wash
Location: france
Artist: charles joseph natoire
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: french
Artist dates: 1700 – 1777
Subjects: arches,stairs
Georgia O'Keeffe—Hand
Object type: photograph
Date: 1918 – 1918
Location: united states
Artist: alfred stieglitz
Artist role: fotograaf
Artist nationality: american
Artist dates: 1864 – 1946
Inscriptions: Unmarked recto; inscribed verso, on mount, lower left, in graphite: OK 515 D; verso, on mount, lower right, in graphite: treated by Steichen

For more on the Alfred Stieglitz collection at the Art Institute, along with in-depth object information, please visit the website: The Alfred Stieglitz Collection.
Dog Cart (unnumbered)
Object type: drawing
Date: 1855 – 1874
Materials: gouache, ink, watercolor
Techniques: pen
Artist: brewster & co.
Artist role: manufacturer
Artist nationality: american
Subjects: carriages

Brewster & Company History Established in 1810 by James Brewster (1788–1866) in New Haven, Connecticut, Brewster & Company, specialized in the manufacture of fine carriages. The founder opened a New York showroom in 1827 at 53-54 Broad Street, and the company flourished under generations of family leadership. Expansion necessitated moves around lower Manhattan, with name changes reflecting shifts of management–James Brewster & Sons operated at 25 Canal Street, James Brewster Sons at 396 Broadway, and Brewster of Broome Street was based at 372 & 374 Broome Street with a repository (showroom) on 14th Street & Fifth Avenue. By 1874, Brewster & Company had 400 employees and combined warehouse and factory facilities at 47th & 48th Streets and Broadway. Brewster successfully branched out to produce their own automobiles, as well as supplying bodies for Rolls Royce at their Long Island City location. Notable clientele included Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, August Belmont, J.P. Morgan, John Jacob Astor, Andrew J. Cassatt (brother of artist Mary Cassatt), William Rockefeller, Henry Clay Frick and Pierre Lorillard. Talented draftsmen employed by the firm included Paul Steinbeck, Herman Stahmer and John Gribbon, the latter teaching at the Carriage Builders and Designers Technical School, which opened in 1880 and was housed initially at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When the company finally dissolved in 1923, its last owner William Brewster (1866–1949) donated its archive of design and presentation drawings to the Museum where he served as benefactor and trustee. Of all American carriage manufacturers, none was as highly regarded for design, finish and quality as Brewster & Company. They won many awards for outstanding workmanship, including the Legion d’Honneur (Legion of Honor) at the 1878 Paris Exposition (3rd World’s Fair). In appreciation for this achievement the Carriage Builders’ National Association presented them with a gold enameled Tiffany & Company plaque and autograph book signed by leading American carriage builders, both now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Merri Ferrell, 2016
View of an Encampment of the Army of Willem III
Object type: drawing
Date: 1675 – 1725
Materials: paper
Techniques: brush
Subjects: the hague, william iii (prince of orange and king of england, scotland, and ireland), (military) camp with tents
Fotoreproductie van een getekend portret van een onbekende man, mogelijk Willem Bilderdijk
Object type: reproduction
Date: 1865 – 1871
Materials: cardboard, paper
Techniques: albumen print, retouching
Location: the hague
Subjects: amsterdam, print maker, willem bilderdijk, drawing, sketch, historical persons not known by name
Inscriptions: inscription: ‘Bilderdijk?’, inscription: ‘Firma Buckmann (...) 's Hage’
Aliqui Portus
Object type: print
Date: 1679 – 1728
Materials: paper
Techniques: engraving, etching
Location: amsterdam
Artist: johannes gronsveld
Artist role: draughtsman, painter, print maker, publisher
Artist dates: 1658 – 1728
Subjects: harbour (+ four persons or more ~ traffic and transport)
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 240

Haven met links op de voorgrond een groep buitenlandse kooplieden, staand en zittend bij een lading, daarachter een zeilschip. Rechts twee zittende kooplieden en rechts op de achtergrond een brug, toren en zeilschepen. Derde prent uit een serie van twaalf met Italiaanse havens.
Brunhilde (ondergang van de Goden)
Object type: print
Date: 1894 – 1894
Techniques: printmaking, lithograph
Location: paris
Subjects: brunhild
Inscriptions: collector's mark: Lugt 2228

Brunhilde, een vrouw uit de Noorse mythologie, en profil.
Vrouw met hoed
Object type: sketchbook leaf
Date: 1875 – 1934
Materials: paper, pencil
Location: the hague
Artist: isaac israels
Artist role: draughtsman, painter, print maker
Artist dates: 1865 – 1934
Subjects: adult woman, head-gear: hat (+ women's clothes)

Blad 16 verso uit schetsboek LX met 33 bladen.
Teabowl
Object type: teabowl
Date: 1860 – 1860
Materials: clay, glaze
Culture: japanese
Artist: amano kaneshige
Artist role: artist
Artist nationality: japanese
Driemaster
Object type: sketchbook leaf
Date: 1797 – 1838
Materials: paper, pencil
Artist: johannes christiaan schotel
Artist role: draughtsman, painter, print maker
Artist dates: 1787 – 1838
Subjects: sailing-ship, sailing-boat

Blad 16 recto uit een schetsboek met 65 bladen.
Zittende jongeman met steek
Object type: drawing
Date: 1700 – 1799
Materials: ink, paper
Techniques: brush, pen
Location: netherlands
Artist: Anonymous
Lock
Object type: lock
Date: 1401 – 1600
Materials: iron
Culture: european or german

The decoration of Gothic iron locks and keys was often elaborate and of the highest standard of workmanship. The motifs were frequently drawn from Gothic architecture, reproducing on a miniature scale complicated tracery patterns and even tiny statuettes. A number of these tiny locks were compound, with some of the mechanisms concealed from view, and required two or even three keys used in sequence to open them. It has been suggested that the greatly expanded use of locks on doors, or coffrets and other types of storage chests was a result of the increasing urbanization of life and the new emphasis on material wealth and private ownership which developed in the late Middle Ages.