Design for a Cartouche on a Base, Surmounted by a Crown, with Arms with the Initials OL, G, G, and OI.
Medium
Pen and brown ink, brush and two shades of brown wash, over leadpoint or graphite
Dimensions
9 1/2 x 7 5/8 in. (24.2 x 19.3 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Leon Dalva Sr., 1965
Accession Number
65.654.27
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate 18th-century drawing Piedmont, Italy, captures an anonymous artist's vision for a grand cartouche—a scrolled ornamental frame often used to enclose coats of arms in architecture, furniture, or manuscripts. Perched atop a sturdy base and crowned with a regal diadem, the design prominently features heraldic arms flanked by the enigmatic initials OL, G, G, and OI. Likely commissioned for a noble family or in the Savoy region, it reflects the opulent Baroque and emerging Rococo tastes of the period, where such motifs symbolized lineage, power, and prestigeCrafted with meticulous tech...