Copper as Canvas: Two Centuries of Masterpiece Paintings on Copper, 1575-1775

Later this year, approximately 100 of the most important and best-preserved examples of paintings on copper from collections in the U.S., Europe, and South America, along with displays of copper mining and copper ores, and copper objects and printing plates from the period, will be exhibited at the Phoenix Art Museum, travelling next to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and then to the Royal Cabinet of Paintings Mauritshuis in The Hague. The artform of painting on copper dates back to the mid-sixteenth century, when European artists found that the smooth surfaces of thin sheets of copper lent themselves to fine workmanship, were easy to handle, and even gave a luminous shine to the paint. Masters including Jan Breughel the Elder, Claude, El Greco, Reni, Guercino, Rembrandt, and Vernet are among those who produced fine works on copper.

Copper as Canvas brings together 100 full-color and sixty-five black and white reproductions of these paintings, each accompanied by a detailed entry, as well an interdisciplinary range of essays covering the history of painting on copper. From the history of the copper industry in Europe circa 1500-1700, to the technique's emergence in the New World colonies (particularly Mexico and Peru), to technical studies of the technique, the essays provide illuminating background information for the museum-goer. A combination of beautifully produced illustrations and fascinating reading, Copper as Canvas brings these stunning paintings to art-lovers in an impressive volume sure to have a long afterlife beyond the exhibition.