Plate 6, from Die Folge der phantastischen SchmucksträÃe (Suite of Fantastic Ornamental Bouquets)
Medium
ornament
Classification
ornament
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John Innes Kane
Accession Number
1942-36-29-3
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
This plate from *Die Folge der phantastischen Schmucksträße* (Suite of Fantastic Ornamental Bouquets) showcases the inventive spirit of early seventeenth-century German design. Created in 1614 by Wendel Dietterlin the Younger, whose brief career spanned roughly 1610 to 1614, the work belongs to a series of ornamental prints meant to inspire craftsmen working in metal, textiles, and architecture. The title’s emphasis on “fantastic” bouquets suggests exuberant, imaginative arrangements rather than literal flowers, reflecting the late Mannerist taste for elaborate, hybrid motifs that blend natura...