Design for Three Consoles Decorated with Foliage and Volutes and a Console with a Satyr Head Surmounted by Three Human Figures, Garland and Foliage
1609–60
Medium
Pen and brown ink over some traces of leadpoint
Dimensions
7-1/16 x 10-13/16 in. (18 x 27.4 cm) irregular borders
Classification
Drawings|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund and Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1971
Accession Number
1971.513.33
Tags
Art Historical Context
Agostino Mitelli's *Design for Three Consolesated with Foliage Volutes and a Console with a Satyr Head Sur by Three Human Figures, and Foliage* (ca. 1609–1660) is a captivating preparatory drawing that showcases the artist's mastery of ornamental fantasy. Rendered on a modestly sized sheet with irregular borders (7-1/16 x 10-13/16 inches), it features elegantly intertwined motifs of scrolling volutes, lush foliage, garlands, and dynamic human figures crowning a mischievous satyr head. These consoles—architectural brackets—were essential elements in Baroque interiors, supporting shelves, busts,...