The Replication of Images
Over the course of the 15th century, printmaking techniques continued to evolve. Thanks to the simplified methods of replicating images provided by these technologies, images became more accessible and spread at much higher speeds across vast distances and between different art forms. Then came the invention of the printing press. One of German culture’s most important contributions to the late Gothic era, it continues to influence the world of media and communication to this day.
Woodcuts and Copperplates as Early Printmaking Techniques
The most important early printmaking techniques were the woodcut and copperplate engraving. Artists working in other media often based their own work on these prints. Tilman Riemenschneider, for example, based his relief on an engraving by Martin Schongauer. Woodcuts Copperplate
The Migration of Motifs Through Printmaking
The work of Niclaus Gerhaert von Leyden also had wide-reaching effects beyond the confines of his own discipline. With the prints of Master E.S., for example, who was active in Strasbourg around the same time as Gerhaert, the style that Gerhaert had been key to shaping was spread right across southern Germany. Even in the work of goldsmiths, the influence of Gerhaert is unmistakable.
The Invention of the Printing Press
The rapid distribution of prints led to increased demand, which in turn had effects on the evolution of the technology. A key milestone in the history of media came in 1454–55, with the invention of movable type and the printing press of Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz. The ability to easily exchange letters made typesetting larger amounts of text faster, and meant that the letters could be reused over long periods of time in other contexts. Gutenberg demonstrated the potential of his invention with an impressive publication, known as the Gutenberg Bible.
The Art of Repetition
Parallel developments also occurred in other media, in the form of techniques that allowed images and motifs to be reproduced in larger numbers. These developments were not aimed at reducing costs, but made it possible to reproduce a work with only minor changes. This meant that the same composition could be used for a home altar or for the decorative panels of a cast-iron stove, as can be seen in the examples from the Berlin Bode-Museum and the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Trier. The wooden relief was originally created as a model. A cast was made from it, which was then used to fabricate the stove panel. The original model was then painted, and likely presented in a small home altar.
