ca. 1520 (Engraved)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This print combines images of monsters which are part human, part bird, men with the legs and feet of animals, disembodied animal parts as well as natural objects such as an animal skull, foliage and a shells. The composition is not strictly symmetrical but is certainly balanced with the two creatures flanking the top and the centre of the print having the same size and relative position.
This kind of subject matter (known as grotesque) first appeared in Italian prints in the first decades of the sixteenth century although it had been seen in painting and drawing in the decades immediately before 1500. The grotesque style took its name from the painted and stucco decoration of the palace of Emperor Nero in Rome which was first excavated in the 1480s. Some examples of the grotesque closely resemble ancient Roman wall painting but in some instances artists seem also to have used their own imagination.
This kind of subject matter (known as grotesque) first appeared in Italian prints in the first decades of the sixteenth century although it had been seen in painting and drawing in the decades immediately before 1500. The grotesque style took its name from the painted and stucco decoration of the palace of Emperor Nero in Rome which was first excavated in the 1480s. Some examples of the grotesque closely resemble ancient Roman wall painting but in some instances artists seem also to have used their own imagination.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Engraving on paper |
| Brief description | Grotesque ornamental panel, engraving by Agostino dei Musi. ca 1520 |
| Physical description | Ornamental panel with at the bottom two satyrs, in the middle two sphinxes and at the top (centre) the head and front legs of an ox. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | From Miller (1999), p. 78: The impressions described by Bartsch and in the Amsterdam and Escorial collections are from a later edition issued by Antonio Salamanca. |
| Historical context | This print brings together a range of fantastical creatures, animal parts, fish, natural and man-made objects, in a tall, almost-symmetrical composition. It combines a strong horizontal element near the top with artfully swirling drapery and hanging ropes supporting stylised cameos, jewels and lamps. This is an early printed example of a style known as the grotesque. It took its name from the painted and stucco decoration of the palace of Emperor Nero in Rome. Some examples of the grotesque closely resemble ancient Roman wall painting but some early sixteenth-century artists particularly those around the painter Raphael, of whom this artist was one, seem also to have used their own imagination. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This print combines images of monsters which are part human, part bird, men with the legs and feet of animals, disembodied animal parts as well as natural objects such as an animal skull, foliage and a shells. The composition is not strictly symmetrical but is certainly balanced with the two creatures flanking the top and the centre of the print having the same size and relative position. This kind of subject matter (known as grotesque) first appeared in Italian prints in the first decades of the sixteenth century although it had been seen in painting and drawing in the decades immediately before 1500. The grotesque style took its name from the painted and stucco decoration of the palace of Emperor Nero in Rome which was first excavated in the 1480s. Some examples of the grotesque closely resemble ancient Roman wall painting but in some instances artists seem also to have used their own imagination. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.1076-1922 |
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| Record created | November 16, 2006 |
| Record URL |
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