Copies after the 'Livre contenant passement de moresques' (plate 12)
19th century (?)
Medium
Etching (?)
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 13/16 × 3 9/16 in. (12.2 × 9 cm) Plate: 4 1/2 × 3 5/16 in. (11.5 × 8.4 cm) Overall: 10 1/16 × 7 7/8 in. (25.5 × 20 cm)
Classification
Albums|Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Susan Schulman Printseller Gift, 2014
Accession Number
2014.94.12
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching, titled *Copies after the 'L contenant passement de moques' (plate 12)*, pays homage to the Renaissance master Jacques Androuet Du Cer (ca. 1515–1585), a pioneering French architect and engraver Du Cerceau's influential pattern books, like the *Livre contenant passement moresques* ("Book of Moorish Trimmings"), showcased intricate interlaced designs inspired by Islamic arabesques, adapted into European decorative vocabulary. These "moresques"—flowing, lace-like motifs—became staples in Renaissance architecture, furniture, and textiles, bridging Eastern ornamental traditio...
About the Artist
Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau · 1510–1585
Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau (c. 1510–1584), born in Paris to a wine merchant, emerged as a pivotal figure in introducing Renaissance architecture to France through his innovative designs and engravings. Trained as an architect, decorator, and engraver, he established a printshop in Orléans around 1549, where he began producing influential suites of engravings, starting with triumphal arches. His...