Female Term, seated figure, and fantastical creature (recto); Satyr and study of a woman and child (verso)

? attributed to Andrés de Melgar Spanish

ca. 1545–60

Not on view

The figure with outstretched arms in the upper left corner resembles an ancient Roman sculpture of Diana of Ephesus that was known through small-scale replicas. The goddess became a popular motif in Renaissance grotesque decorations, such as the frescoes in the Vatican Loggie and the decor of Prince Andrea Doria’s palace in Genoa. Like the leafy acanthus pictured in this drawing, she also appears in prints made by Agostino Veneziano. In the space of a single page, the author of this drawing quotes and elaborates on a range of printed sources, sketching his subjects in varying states of finish. At the center, he imagines a fantastical winged creature in profile, while a more schematic version composed of swift and abbreviated pen strokes looks on from below.

See also comment for 52.570.314.

Artwork Details

Title: Female Term, seated figure, and fantastical creature (recto); Satyr and study of a woman and child (verso)
Artist: ? attributed to Andrés de Melgar (Spanish, documented S. Domingo de la Calzada, died after 1554)
Date: ca. 1545–60
Medium: Pen and brown ink
Dimensions: 13-3/16 x 9-1/16 in. (33.5 x 23.0 cm)
Classifications: Drawings, Ornament & Architecture
Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1952
Object Number: 52.570.316
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

By Andrés de Melgar

In the same medium

From the same time and place

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Flemish Grotesque Creatures and a Candelabra Grotesque (recto); Candelabra Grotesques with Mask (verso), Andrés de Melgar Spanish, Pen and dark brown ink (recto); pen and dark brown ink; composition within ruled framing lines at left border of sheet, and at right side of composition (verso) — Flemish Grotesque Creatures and a Candelabra Grotesque (recto); Candelabra Grotesques with Mask (verso)
Andrés de Melgar
ca. 1545–60

Design for a Frieze with Grotesques, Andrés de Melgar Spanish, Pen and brown ink — Design for a Frieze with Grotesques
Andrés de Melgar
ca. 1545–60

Various Designs of Strapwork and Grotesque Figures (recto); Grotesques with Term Figures (verso), Andrés de Melgar Spanish, Pen and dark brown ink (recto); pen and gray-brown ink (verso) — Various Designs of Strapwork and Grotesque Figures (recto); Grotesques with Term Figures (verso)
Andrés de Melgar
ca. 1545–60

Frieze Design with Acanthus Scrolls, Hybrid Creatures and a Winged Putto, Andrés de Melgar Spanish, Pen and brown ink with brown wash — Frieze Design with Acanthus Scrolls, Hybrid Creatures and a Winged Putto
Andrés de Melgar
ca. 1545–60

Candelabra grotesque and studies of kneeling figures (recto); two sphinxes (verso), Andrés de Melgar Spanish, Pen and brown ink — Candelabra grotesque and studies of kneeling figures (recto); two sphinxes (verso)
Andrés de Melgar
ca. 1545–60

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