Daniel Hopfer: Pioneer of Printmaking and Armour Decoration Daniel Hopfer (c. 1470 – 1536) stands as a singular figure in Renaissance art history, credited as the first to master etching—a transformative technique that revolutionized printmaking and profoundly impacted decorative arts. Born in Kaufbeuren, Germany, he emerged from a family steeped in artistic tradition, inheriting his father’s skill as a painter and establishing himsel…