A seventeenth-century etching by Dutch goldsmith Johannes Lutma, featuring a symmetrical cartouche in the distinctive Auricular style.

This etching by Johannes Lutma represents the distinctive Auricular style, or kwabstijl, which emerged in the Netherlands during the mid-seventeenth century. The design features a horizontal cartouche composed of two symmetrical, heart-shaped compartments. The surrounding frame exhibits the characteristic fluid, cartilage-like forms that define this aesthetic, where rigid materials appear to soften and contort into organic, fleshy shapes.

Lutma, a prominent Dutch goldsmith and silversmith, utilised his expertise in metalwork to create these ornamental prints. His designs were intended as patterns for fellow craftsmen, providing templates for silver mounts, frames, and decorative objects. The etching technique allows for precise shading, which gives the cartouche a three-dimensional quality, suggesting the depth and curvature of embossed metal. The play of light and shadow across the undulating surfaces demonstrates the artist's focus on volume and tactile form.

This work is part of a broader series of designs that helped disseminate the Auricular style throughout Europe. The composition is balanced and restrained, focusing entirely on the structural possibilities of the cartouche. By stripping away extraneous narrative elements, Lutma directs the viewer's attention to the interplay between the negative space of the central compartments and the complex, flowing lines of the frame. The print serves as a record of seventeenth-century decorative arts, capturing a moment when the boundaries between sculpture and graphic design were fluid. It remains a study in the manipulation of form, reflecting the technical precision required of a master silversmith working in the Dutch Golden Age.