Born Heinrich Trippenmecker ('clog-maker' in the Westphalian dialect), Aldergrever adopted his new surname when he began producing engravings in 1527, which he signed with the monogram AG, in imitation of Dürer.
Aldegrever was a very occasional painter, but is mainly known as an engraver. He probably trained in a goldsmith's workshop in Soest and a third of his output of nearly 300 engravings is of ornament prints, pattern designs for metalwork, or images of existing elaborately decorated metalwork.
The hinges in the handles of the two spoons suggest they were intended for travelling and hunting. The whistle has, as part of its decoration, the head of a Roman emperor, a status symbol in the 16th century.