Ornamental Panel (ca. 1514–36, Met-Objekt 5836)
Original title: Ornamental Panel
kurzbeschreibung
Agostino Veneziano, also called Agostino dei Musi, issued this Ornamental Panel as an engraving between about 1514 and 1536. It presents a strictly mirrored ornamental field in an upright format, bringing together fabulous creatures, angels and leafy scrollwork.
Description
Three horizontal bands divide the sheet. In the upper and lower strips, figures are woven into flowers and tendrils, while a bearded man sits in the middle zone. Angels and mythical beings surround him in varied poses: some hold fans, others hover or kneel. The arrangement reads as ordered and yet full of movement, with the surface densely packed with motifs. Fine strokes and hatching in the engraving produce graded greys that model light and shade.
Context
The Italian engraver Agostino Veneziano worked in Marcantonio Raimondi's workshop during the Renaissance. This sheet belongs to the first half of the sixteenth century, when engraved pattern sheets circulated widely among artists and craftsmen. Panels of this kind served as models for decoration in various media, including inlay, jewellery and book ornament.
Impact
The dense, mirrored sequence of figures and foliage gives the print an even rhythm that draws the eye across the whole surface. The delicate hatching lends the ornament sculptural depth while keeping its abundance legible.
Technique
For this engraving, the lines were cut into a copper plate with a burin. Fine hatching and cross-hatching create graded greys, used to work out light and shadow. Once the plate was inked, it was pulled on paper, producing the single-colour image.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)