Title Page
Classification
ornament
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-469-11
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Title Page** by Hans Collaert the Elder (Flemish, ca. 1530–1581) greets visitors with the refined elegance of late 16th-century Flemish ornamentation. Dated 1582, this work from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection captures the artistic vitality of the Northern Renaissance, a time when Flemish masters like Collaert excelled in decorative designs that adorned books, prints, and architectural elements. As a title page, it likely served as an inviting prelude to a larger series, blending intricate patterns with symbolic motifs to draw the viewer's eye. Classified as an ornament, th...