Plate 8, from a series of eight pendant designs with the cardinal virtues
1616â1623
Classification
jewelry
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase from Drawings and Prints Council Fund
Accession Number
2001-22-1-8
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Plate 8 from Johann Theodor de Bry's Series Pendant Designs** Johann Theodor de Bry, prolific German engraver and member of the renowned de Bry family of artists and publishers (1561–3), created this intricate design around 1616–1623. As Plate 8 in a series of eight pendant, it exemplifies the early 17th-century fascination emblematic jewelry that blended artistry with moral philosophy. De Bry's work, often rooted in the Mannerist tradition transitioning to Baroque elaboration, reflects the era's revival of classical motifs through detailed engravings—likely the medium here, given his exper...