Sketches for Grotesque Wall Decorations.
Medium
Pen and brown ink
Dimensions
Sheet: 16 1/16 x 10 9/16 in. (40.8 x 26.9 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959
Accession Number
59.605.8
Tags
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, where we encounter *Sketches for Groque Wall Decorations* Girolamo da Car (c. 1501–1556), a masterful Italian artist from Ferrara known for his Mannerist drawings and paintings. This large sheet, measuring 16 1/16 x 10 9/16 inches, bursts with intricate pen-and-brown-ink designs featuring whimsical animals, fantastical hybrids, and ornate motifs—hallmarks of the grotesque style that captivated Renaissance decorators. Grotesques, inspired by ancient Roman frescoes rediscovered in the early 16th century (like those in N...