Design for a Title Page
17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, black chalk, brown wash, white gouache; Verso: rubbed with black chalk for transfer.
Dimensions
11 9/16 x 7 15/16 in. (29.3 x 20.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.186
Tags
Art Historical Context
Abraham van Diepenbeeck's *Design for a Title Page*, created in the 17th century, exemplifies the ornate preparatory drawings favored by Flemish Baroque artists. A versatile painter, engraver, and miniaturist who collaborated with Peter Paul Rubens, Diepenbeeck crafted this sheet as a blueprint for a printed book title page, featuring portraits of men adorned with wreaths and a prominent coat of arms—hallmarks of heraldic splendor that conveyed status and prestige in an era of expanding print culture. Rendered in pen and brown ink with black chalk, brown wash, and white gouache, the drawing s...