Description
Hans Cranach Silverpoint Stylus
This is a historical reconstruction of a Renaissance silverpoint stylus, based on the actual surviving silverpoint attached to the travel sketchbook (Reiseskizzenbuch, 1536) of Hans Cranach, son of Lucas Cranach the Elder, held at the Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum in Hannover, Germany. The sketchbook’s semi-rigid cover was pierced specifically to hold the stylus in place, and the instrument remains with the book today.
As on the original, the body of this single-sided silverpoint is made of brass and the point is of sterling silver. At just 5 grams and 14.6 cm, it is notably lighter and more slender than our other silverpoints, bringing less pressure and more control to the hand. This makes it especially well suited to fine, delicate strokes and detailed sketching, the kind of quick, intimate marks Hans Cranach might have made in the sketchbook he carried with him on his travels to Bologna. It was created in Florence: first cast using the lost-wax process, then soldered and finished by hand.
Silverpoint allowed artists of the Renaissance to create drawings of unsurpassed elegance and beauty. Its precise, crisp line and delicate tone are recognizable at first glance in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Dürer, Holbein, and other artists. Drawing with this Renaissance drawing tool opens a direct, intimate connection to the techniques of the great masters.
Specifications
- Tip: Sterling Silver (925 Silver)
- Body: Brass
- Made in Italy
The Research Behind This Silverpoint Reconstruction
Ars Pictoria’s mission is to keep Renaissance artistry alive through living practice, passing it on the way it has always been transmitted, from hand to hand, so that everyone who draws with one of our silverpoint styluses becomes part of that transmission.
This and other silverpoint reconstructions have been endorsed by leading art historians and experts on Leonardo da Vinci, tested in Gleb Shtyrmer’s own studio, and used in teaching numerous workshops and courses. Ars Pictoria’s silverpoints and other reconstructions of period materials are on permanent display at institutions including the Leonardo3 Museum in Milan and the San Marco Museum in Florence, where Gleb Shtyrmer recently designed two displays of historical art materials. Our silverpoints appear in Ken Burns’s Leonardo da Vinci documentary, to which Gleb Shtyrmer contributed by performing drawings and paintings and reconstructing historical art materials.
The Makers
Our family studio in the Florence area is where the production takes place. Sayaka Shtyrmer is the artisan who refines the wax models, preparing them for lost-wax casting, then cuts, solders, and finishes the brass and silver parts by hand. Gleb Shtyrmer conceives the designs, researches their historical sources, and curates the production from first sketch to final piece.
Each piece is cast through the lost-wax method in small batches, then individually soldered, polished, and finished by hand, a human touch that makes every silverpoint stylus unique. Even the packaging is handmade in our studio, using premium paper.
A Brief History of Silverpoint Drawing
Cennino Cennini’s Il Libro dell’Arte, written in the late 14th century, describes the silverpoint technique essentially as it survives today: a fine silver point drawn across a panel or paper prepared with a bone-ash ground, producing a precise, delicate line that cannot be erased or corrected. This immediacy and permanence made silverpoint drawing prized across Europe through the 15th and 16th centuries, used by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Dürer, and many others.
Silver was the most common choice, though styluses were also made from other metals such as lead and gold; today, all of these are grouped under the broader term metalpoint.
This particular reconstruction is based on the silverpoint stylus that survives with Hans Cranach’s own travel sketchbook, likely a gift from his father Lucas Cranach the Elder in 1536. Hans used the book on his journey to Bologna, where he died in 1537; after his death, the sketchbook and its stylus continued to be used by others, so most of the drawings within it are not his own. Read more about the history and technique of silverpoint drawing →
Explore our other historical silverpoint styluses, including reconstructions based on Hugo van der Goes, Jan Gossaert and Rogier van der Weyden.
Handling and Care
Drawing tool for artistic use. Metal tip: handle with care, and keep out of reach of children under 14.
Natural patina. Unplated natural metals are used, so the surface will develop a natural patina over time. Full care instructions are included with the product.
Warranty
Every silverpoint comes with a 2-year warranty against manufacturing defects. See our Warranty & Returns page for full terms.
