Plate from "Divers Trophées" (Weapon Trophies after the Façade of Palazzo Milesi in Rome) (1651, Met-Objekt 2291)
Original title: Plate from "Divers Trophées" (Weapon Trophies after the Façade of Palazzo Milesi in Rome)
kurzbeschreibung
Helmets, shields and spears settle into a symmetrical trophy arrangement after designs by Polidoro da Caravaggio. This 1651 etching reproduces one such group of arms, framed by angels and crowned with a lion. A band of lettering at the bottom names Polidoro as the inventor and points to the facade of the Palazzo Milesi in Rome as the source.
Description
An ornately decorated helmet sits at the centre, held on either side by two angels. Above it a lion rests on a pedestal. Shields and spears spread to left and right amid dense ornament, with further weapons, a skull and additional animal figures appearing between them. The etching works in many gradations of grey and with great precision of detail. At the bottom a shield carries the inscription 'Polidorus Caravagiiensis Inue'et Pinxit Roma'.
Context
The facade paintings Polidoro da Caravaggio (around 1499–1543) made at the Palazzo Milesi in Rome served as the model for this series of prints. The sheet was published in 1651, roughly a century after Polidoro's death, as part of a sequence of trophy subjects after his designs. Prints of this kind carried Renaissance ornamental motifs across Europe and were used by artists and craftsmen as patterns.
Impact
Strict mirroring and delicate ornament give the sheet a ceremonial, triumphant air. Weapons and mythological beings, angels and lion among them, join into an allegorical statement that draws the viewer into the visual language of the Renaissance.
Technique
An etching, the image is formed by biting the drawing into a metal plate, an intaglio process. Fine lines and hatching produce stepped grey values and a high degree of detail. The plate was printed in black ink on paper; the sheet measures 22.4 x 30.4 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)