Sketches of Seven Brackets, Two Vases, Two Capitals, a Lectern, Mascaron, Standi
Italian
Description
Gallery Rotation Spring 2013
Anonymous
Italy, late 16th–early 17th century
Sketches of seven brackets, two vases, two capitals, a lectern, mascaron, standing figure and a putto (recto)
1575–1625
Graphite, pen and bistre ink
Museum purchase, 1959/2.40
The various forms sketched on this sheet underscore the often organic qualities of ornament found on objects and architecture. The vegetal forms and rounded volutes brought together in the two Corinthian capitals to the upper left and those found in the curvilinear forms of the brackets in the lower half of the page would have both complemented and stood in opposition to the rigid geometry and solid design of the architecture they decorated. The artist may have intended to suggest a parallel between the form of the bracket near the center of the page and the bent and contorted human figure depicted to its right.
Subject Matter:
This sheet contains a variety of quick designs for a variety of decorative objects: brackets and consoles, vases, capital, furniture. There is an interconnectedness in the designs based on tight scrolling features (brackets, handles, volutes in the capital) and how that is applied to different materials and functions.
Physical Description:
Designs for bases, pitchers, capitals, lecturns, and wall brackets are scattered across the sheet. Most are quickly sketched and elaborate on the theme of scrolling designs.
Usage Rights:
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