Cœnotaphiorum (18)
Medium
Etching; first state of four
Dimensions
sheet: 6 9/16 x 8 1/4 in. (16.6 x 20.9 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Phyllis D. Massar Gift, 2011
Accession Number
2011.510.18
Tags
About this artwork
This prints|ornament & architecture titled "Cœnotaphiorum (18)" by Hans Vredeman de Vries|Johannes van Doetecum I|Lucas van Doetecum|Hieronymus Cock dates to 1563. Executed in etching; first state of four, this work exemplifies the craftsmanship associated with Drawings and Prints. The piece demonstrates the technical skill and artistic vision characteristic of its period. The work's presence in a major museum collection attests to its significance in the broader narrative of art history. As par...
Art Historical Context
In 1563, Hans Vredeman de Vries a leading Northern Mannerist architect and, collaborated with engravers Johannes and Lucas van Doetecum and Hieronymus Cock to *Cœnotaphiorum (18)*, the eighteenth plate in a celebrated series of fantastical cenotaph designs These intricate etchings depict elaborate funerary monuments—empty tombs honoring the deceased—blending soaring architecture with macabre elements like corpses, reflecting the era's fascination with mortality, perspective, and grotesque ornamentation. Produced in Antwerp during the Renaissance, the print measures a compact 6 9/16 x 8 1/4 inc...