Giovanni Antonio da Brescia
Italian, c. 1460-1523
Griffins and Two Cupids Crossing Halberds, plate five of Twelve Ornament Panels
INV-2343
Giovanni Antonio da Brescia
Italian, c. 1460-1523c. 1505–15
Griffins and Two Cupids Crossing Halberds, plate five of Twelve Ornament Panels
Giovanni Antonio da Brescia Italian, c. 1460-1523 →engravingprint
Date
c. 1505–15
Medium
Engraving in black on grayish ivory laid paper
Dimensions
53.4 × 8.6 cm (21 1/16 × 3 7/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Potter Palmer, Jr.
This print exemplifies a type of ornamental design that enjoyed wide popularity in the 15th and 16th centuries. Featuring fanciful decorative vases, fragments of armor, symmetrical acanthus scrolls, fantastic creatures, and frolicking putti, it was inspired by painted and carved architectural decorations from Roman antiquity. A significant number of very early engravings depict ornamental designs, suggesting there was considerable demand for them among artists, craftsmen, scholars, and collectors interested in the classical past.
Also notable
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