Ornamental Panel (ca. 1514–36, Met-Objekt 5829)
Original title: Ornamental Panel
kurzbeschreibung
An engraving by Agostino Veneziano (Agostino dei Musi), made sometime between about 1514 and 1536. It presents an elaborate ornamental panel filled with mythological and allegorical motifs, a decorative model that served artists and craftsmen as a source of design.
Description
A seated figure anchors the sheet, enclosed by a frame that fills itself with further figures and ornamental shapes. These beings are probably cherubim or putti, appearing flying, sitting or kneeling, threading through the panel in a dense, restless sequence. The bodies have a relief-like presence, with crisp contours and carefully placed linework. Among them appear decorative elements such as plants, animals and stylized forms. The whole remains grey on grey, with no strong contrasts of light and dark.
Context
Agostino Veneziano, an Italian engraver of the Renaissance, worked in the workshop of Marcantonio Raimondi. His sheet belongs to the first half of the sixteenth century, when pattern books of ornament circulated among artists and craftsmen. Printed models of this kind helped shape work in very different media, from goldsmithing to interior decoration.
Impact
Cleanly laid out and rich in detail, the print pairs a certain aristocratic restraint with playful ease. Because figures and ornament stand tightly packed, a lively, almost narrative image results, one that invites close looking.
Technique
The design was incised into a copper plate, from which impressions were then pulled on paper. The assurance with which the engraver guided the fine lines and dense hatching reveals a high level of practiced craft. The overall grey tone comes from the printing ink and the character of the paper.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)