Design for Frame with Ecclesiastical Motifs
1750–88
Medium
Brush and black ink, and gray ink over traces of black chalk. Flaps of paper added to original and folded under at top and bottom. Incised for transfer.
Dimensions
18 7/16 x 13 7/16 in. (46.9 x 34.2 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1967
Accession Number
67.792.5
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of 18th-century decorative arts, Johann Oktavian Salver *Design for Frame with Ecclesiastical Motifs* (ca. 1750–88) stands as a masterful preparatory drawing. Created during the late Baroque to Rococo transition, this work by the German engraver and designer exemplifies the era's fascination with intricate ornamentation for religious contexts. Salver, known for his detailed engravings and frames, crafted this sheet to guide the fabrication of an elaborate frame, likely intended to encase liturgical objects like altarpieces or reliquaries in churches. The medium—brush and ...