Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Candelabra grotesque with four children playing, from a series of twelve candelabra grotesques

Former Attribution Giovanni Pietro da Birago Italian
1490–1515
Not on view
Composed of playful putti, reptilian handles, cuirasses (breastplate armor), and foliage, this ornamental panel belongs to a series of twelve designed and engraved by Birago in collaboration with Brescia. While certainly fantastical, candelabra designs were inspired by real objects: the ancient Roman candelabrum. More directly, Birago’s candelabra were informed by fifteenth-century northern Italian architectural ornament and the manuscript illuminations he made in the service of the Sforza court in Milan. The large scale and sculptural quality of these prints after Birago’s designs convey a sense of monumentality and led to their popularity as models for sculpted reliefs across Europe.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Candelabra grotesque with four children playing, from a series of twelve candelabra grotesques
  • Series/Portfolio: Twelve candelabra grostesques
  • Artist: Giovanni Antonio da Brescia (Italian, active ca. 1490–ca. 1525)
  • Former Attribution: Giovanni Pietro da Birago (Italian, active ca. 1470–1513)
  • Date: 1490–1515
  • Medium: Engraving
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 21 5/8 × 3 11/16 in. (55 × 9.4 cm)
    Plate: 21 1/4 × 3 7/16 in. (54 × 8.7 cm)
  • Classifications: Prints, Ornament & Architecture
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1923
  • Object Number: 23.39.7
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

More Artwork
Joseph's cup found in Benjamin's sack from the biblical story of Joseph (Genesis 44); a scene with soldiers, mules and various figures, Giovanni Antonio da Brescia Italian, Engraving
Joseph's cup found in Benjamin's sack from the biblical story of Joseph (Genesis 44); a scene with soldiers, mules and various figures
Giovanni Antonio da Brescia
After Baldassarre Tommaso Peruzzi
ca. 1520–25
Lobster-Tail Burgonet, Steel, leather, gold, North Italian
Lobster-Tail Burgonet
North Italian
ca. 1610
Christ Carrying the Cross, Martin Schongauer German, Engraving
Christ Carrying the Cross
Martin Schongauer
ca. 1475–80
Two female figures seated in the clouds flanking an angel and another flying above carrying a banderole, Giovanni Antonio da Brescia Italian, Engraving
Two female figures seated in the clouds flanking an angel and another flying above carrying a banderole
Giovanni Antonio da Brescia
After Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio or Santi)
ca. 1510–25
Armor, Steel, copper alloy, textile, leather, Italian
Armor
Italian
ca. 1400–1450 and later

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.