The Backplate of a Suit of Parade Armor

c. 1557

Etienne Delaune

Associated Names
Etienne Delaune

Artist, French, 1518/1519 - 1583

This is a drawing of an ornamental design with mythical figures and decorative motifs. The composition includes acanthus leaves and abstracted floral forms, interspersed with figures resembling mythological deities and creatures. The central area presents figures in flowing robes and armor. The detailed line work creates depth and texture, capturing motion and complexity.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    pen and black ink with gray wash and faint traces of black chalk on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Woodner Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall (approximate): 39 x 30.8 cm (15 3/8 x 12 1/8 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1991.182.20

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Chevalier de Kirschbaum; Hippolyte-Alexandre-Gabriel-Walter Destailleur [1822-1893] (Lugt 740), Paris (his sale Paris, Morgaud, 26-27 May 1893, lot 7--volume consisting of 97 folios to Beurdeley for 11,550 fr.); Alfred Beurdeley [1847-1919], Paris (his sale Paris, Rahir, 31 May 1920, lot 123); H. Grosjean-Maupin (his sale, 26 May 1958, lot 43) (sale Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 15 March 1989, lot 12); purchased by Ian Woodner, New York; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990; gift to NGA, 1991.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1990

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, no. 91.

1994

  • Fanciful Flourishes: Ornament in European Graphic Art and Related Objects, 1300-1800, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1994.

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995-1996, no. 52, as Design for the Backplate of a Suit of Parade Armor.

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, 32-33, 275, no. 7.

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. 52.

Wikidata ID

Q64560021

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