MASTER of Balaam

German or Burgundian French engraver, who probably worked in either the Upper Rhine region or Burgundy. He is named after the engravingGLOSSARYA print made from a metal plate that has had a design cut into it with a sharp point. Ink is smeared over the plate and then wiped off, the ink remaining in the etched lines being transferred when the plate is pressed very firmly onto a sheet of paper. Balaam on his Ass and the Angel (Dresden, Kupferstichkabinet). Also attributed to him are some ten prints, each of which survives in a single example. Little is known about the artist's life. His prints are elegantly executed, showing that he had mastered the technique to perfection. This technical skill is undoubtedly due to his original profession: like many engravers of his time, he started life as a goldsmith. Most of the small, often circular engravings recall nielloGLOSSARYThe art of decorating metals with fine lines engraved in black. The design is first cut into the metal and then filled with a black alloy that at high temperatures melts and fuses into the fine lines. work and may have been preparatory sketches for goldsmiths.