Design for a Lavabo, Plate 85 from Dietterlin's Architectura
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 13 7/16 x 9 3/16 in. (34.2 x 23.3 cm) plate: 9 1/2 x 7 3/16 in. (24.2 x 18.3 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.741
Tags
Art Historical Context
Wendel Dietterlin the Elder a pioneering German architect and artist of the late Renaissance, created this etching in 1598 as Plate 85 from his influential treatise *Architectura*. Titled *Design for a Lavabo it depicts an ornate washbasin—typically used for ritual handwashing in ecclesiastical or grand domestic settings—adorned with fantastical Mannerist flourishes. Measuring about 9½ x 7¼ inches on the plate, the print showcases intricate strapwork, grotesque figures, and classical motifs twisted into exuberant, asymmetrical forms. Dietterlin's *Architectura*, published in Stuttgart, was a ...