Panel of Grotesques
1530–85
Medium
Etchings
Dimensions
Sheet: 4 3/16 × 2 11/16 in. (10.6 × 6.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Herbert Mitchell, 2008
Accession Number
2018.839.57.1
Art Historical Context
Welcome visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, where Jacques Androuet du Cerceau's *Panel of Grotesques (1530–85) captivates with its intricate etched designs. This petite sheet, measuring just 4 3/16 × 2 11/16 inches, exemplifies the French Renaissance master's fascination with ornamental fantasy. Du Cerceau, a pioneering architect and engraver, drew inspiration from ancient Roman decorations unearthed in the Renaissance, blending them into whimsical motifs of intertwined foliage, mythical creatures, and architectural elements. Etching, the medium here, ...
About the Artist
Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau · 1510–1585
Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau (c. 1510–1584), born in Paris to a wine merchant, emerged as a pivotal figure in introducing Renaissance architecture to France through his innovative designs and engravings. Trained as an architect, decorator, and engraver, he established a printshop in Orléans around 1549, where he began producing influential suites of engravings, starting with triumphal arches. His...