The unidentified German artist known as Master E.S. (ca. 1420–ca. 1468) was one of the most important early copperplate engravers. Metal engraving was a long-standing medieval tradition that was practised by goldsmiths and silversmiths. Out of a desire to record the motifs they created, or perhaps simply to show them to others, these craftsmen began to print their engraved designs onto paper. In the course of the 15th century, a new art form thus emerged: the copperplate engraving. The first artist to become so proficient in this technique that he was able to create more than 300 copper engravings was the anonymous Master E.S., named after the initials he placed on some of his engravings. Yet although he produced such an extensive oeuvre, his works are today rare, since paper is a fragile material and has in many cases failed to survive the centuries. The present print, of which only six copies are still known, thus bears precious witness to the early phase of copperplate engraving.