Silverpoint is a method of drawing using a piece of sterling or pure silver wire held in a lead holder or handmade holder.  

 

Silverpoint pre-dates the use of graphite as a drawing medium and was used by old masters such as Jan Van Eyck, Leonardo da Vinci, Albrecht Durer and Raphael.

 

The technique is commonly associated with the Renaissance but enjoyed a revival in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Renaissance artists used silver and occasionally leadpoint for underdrawings of their paintings and for separate studies on paper.  By the 18th century, silverpoint was completely supplanted by the more versatile and immediate medium of graphite.