Dagger-Sheath with a Richly Dressed Gentleman with a Parrot

Heinrich Aldegrever trained as a goldsmith before he began producing small-scale engravings characteristic of a group of German Renaissance printmakers known as the Little Masters. He devoted nearly a third of his work to ornamental designs for metalwork, including sword- and dagger-sheaths. The figure depicted here flaunts his sophisticated and fashionable taste. He appears with a parrot, a rare bird that only the wealthy could afford. His mismatched stockings and slashed pants recall a style made popular by the Landesknechte (mercenaries).