Design for a Burgonet Helmet

c. 1545

Jean Cousin the Elder

Associated Names
Jean Cousin the Elder

Artist, French, c. 1490 - c. 1560

This is a drawing of an intricate and ornate design. The drawing features elaborate designs with detailed motifs such as mythical figures, swirling patterns, and architectural elements. At the center, there is an oval scene depicting two standing figures engaged in an interaction. Surrounding this central motif are intertwining filigrees with cherubic figures, foliage, and grotesque elements. The perimeter of the design is lined with a border featuring figures in various postures. The shading and line work give the drawing a three-dimensional quality, emphasizing the ornate craftsmanship of the design.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and black ink with gray wash over black chalk on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Woodner Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 34.9 x 42 cm (13 3/4 x 16 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1993.51.4

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Chevalier de Kirschbaum, sold 1840; Hippolyte-Alexandre-Gabriel-Walter Destailleur [1822-1893] (Lugt 740), Paris (sale, Paris, Morgaud, 26-27 May 1893, lot 7 [to Beurdeley for 11,550 fr.]); Alfred Beurdeley [1847-1919], Paris (sale, Paris, Rahir, 31 May 1920, lot 123); H. Grosjean-Maupin (his sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 26-27 March 1958, lot 43, as Delaune); (sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 15 March 1989, lot 44, as Rosso Fiorentino); purchased by Ian Woodner, New York; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990; gift to NGA, 1993.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1990

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, no. 23 (as attributed to Rosso Fiorentino).

1993

  • Nine Old Master Drawings: Recent Gifts from the Woodner Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1993 (checklist only) (as Fontainebleau School).

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995-1996, no. 51, as "Design for a Parade Morion."

2006

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2006 - 2007.

2009

  • Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2009, 28-29, 275, no. 5.

2017

  • The Woodner Collections: Master Drawings from Seven Centuries, NGA, 2017.

Bibliography

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995-1996: no. 51.

Inscriptions

by later hand, lower right in brown ink: 189

Watermarks

small shield with initials PS (similar to Briquet 9666)

Wikidata ID

Q64580999

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