Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Drawing instruments
(1,323 words)

1. Introduction

Drawing instruments (French instruments de dessin, German Zeicheninstrumente) are here understood as tools like the compasses, ruler, and protractor, aids in drawing geometrical figures particularly in architectural and technical drawing (cf. fig. 1), but not utensils like brushes, chalks, or silverpoint styli (Pencil), which in the early modern period were mostly used for freehand drawing.

From the 16th century, the practice of drawing to (…

Cite this page
Klein, Ulrich, “Drawing instruments”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_030666>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170626



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