Frieze with Sea Monsters
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet: 1 5/16 × 8 3/8 in. (3.3 × 21.3 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Harry G. Friedman, 1957
Accession Number
57.658.13(3)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the whimsical world of Renaissance ornamentation with *Frieze with Sea Monsters an exquisite engraving attributed to Johann Theodor de Bry Giovanni Andrea Maglioli created between 1580 and 1600. This delicate print, measuring just 1 5/16 × 8 3/8 inches, captures a lively procession of mythical sea creatures twisting and frolicking in a continuous frieze design. Produced during the late Renaissance, when artists drew inspiration from rediscovered ancient Roman grotesques, it exemplifies the era's fascination with fantastical motifs for architectural decoration. Engravings like this w...
About the Artist
Johann Theodor de Bry|Giovanni Andrea Maglioli · 1561–1923
Comment on works: copper engraver