Silverpoint (or metalpoint) is a metho of drawing using a piece of sterling or pure silver wire held in a lead holder or handmade holder. The medium of metalpoint includes the use of gold, copper, brass, platinum and aluminium, as well as silver. 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.