Cross-shaped Pendant and Four Other Motifs
Printmaker Giovanni Battista Costantini Italian
Not on view
Giovanni Battista Costantini shows a real progression in his print designs in blackwork. In 1615 he published a series which focuses entirely on his goldsmiths designs in blackwork. Seven years later he published the series in which this sheet appears and in which he combined blackwork and engraving to create an attractive presentation method for his designs. The print shows designs for five elements of goldsmith's work placed in a landscape with two cupids and two naked men (ignudi). In the center a cross-shaped pendant is presented. It is held up by two cupids, who each hold another motif in their other hand. On the bottom of the page, the two ignudi are seated on rocks. They each present a lunar-shaped design. A village is faintly indicated in the background, to give his landscape a real sense of depth.
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