Title page of series of pear-shaped ornament designs with grotesque motifs on black grounds
Etienne Delaune French
Not on view
Engraving, title page of a series of 7 pear-shaped ornament designs with grotesque motifs executed on black grounds. The set was created by Étienne Delaune in Strasbourg in 1573, as indicated by the inscription on this plate. The pear shapes and size of the prints are similar to those of the fashionable jewelry of the time, suggesting that this set was very likely intended as a model for silver and goldsmiths. This print consists of a cartouche with an inscription, crowned by a female mask surrounded by scrolling motifs, flanked to the sides by two women blowing trumpets, their feet standing on scrolling motifs that frame a trophy of weapons, including a helmet and cuirasse, a spear, a bow and arrows, in the bottom of the composition.
