Opera Nova Universali intitulata Corona di racammi, page 22 (recto)
Medium
Woodcut
Dimensions
Overall: 8 7/8 x 6 7/8 in. (22.5 x 17.5 cm)
Classification
Books|Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1932
Accession Number
32.54.1(43)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the Renaissance world of Venetian craftsmanship with *Opera Nova Universali intitolata Corona di racammi*, page 22 (recto), a 1530 woodcut by Andrea Vavassore. This print, measuring just 8 7/8 x 6 7/8 inches, hails from a pattern book—literally "A New Universal Work Entitled Crown of Embroies"—designed for artisans like embroiderers and lacemakers. Vavass, a prolific printer in Venice, captured floral motifs that bloom with elegant symmetry, evoking the opulent decorative tastes of the early 16th century. Woodcuts like this were revolutionary for their time, using carved wooden bloc...
About the Artist
Giovanni Andrea Vavassore · 1530–1573
**Giovanni Andrea Vavassore (c. 1490s–1572)** Giovanni Andrea Vavassore, also known as Zoan Andrea or Guadagnino, hailed from Telgate near Bergamo in the Venetian terraferma and established himself in Venice by the early 16th century as a skilled wood engraver. His early life remains sparsely documented, with no records of formal training or mentors, though his initial output as a xylographer rev...