Copies after the 'Livre contenant passement de moresques' (plate 12)

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching, titled *Copies after the 'L contenant passement de moques' (plate 12)*, pays homage to the Renaissance master Jacques Androuet Du Cer (ca. 1515–1585), a pioneering French architect and engraver Du Cerceau's influential pattern books, like the *Livre contenant passement moresques* ("Book of Moorish Trimmings"), showcased intricate interlaced designs inspired by Islamic arabesques, adapted into European decorative vocabulary. These "moresques"—flowing, lace-like motifs—became staples in Renaissance architecture, furniture, and textiles, bridging Eastern ornamental traditions with Western humanism. Created as 19th-century copies (precise date uncertain), this small plate (sheet: 4 13/16 × 3 9/16 in.) exemplifies the enduring appeal of Du Cerceau's work. Etching's fine lines capture the hypnotic tangle of straps and foliage, ideal for reproducing complex patterns that artisans copied for crafts like metalwork and embroidery. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Purchase, Susan Schulman Printseller Gift, 2014), it highlights how such albums fueled the diffusion of ornamental styles across centuries, from Fontainebleau châteaux to later revivals. Visiting this print, marvel at its timeless elegance—a snapshot of how Renaissance designers transformed exotic motifs into versatile tools for beauty and innovation.

About the Artist

Jacques Androuet Du Cerceau · 1510–1585

Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau (c. 1510–1584), born in Paris to a wine merchant, emerged as a pivotal figure in introducing Renaissance architecture to France through his innovative designs and engravings. Trained as an architect, decorator, and engraver, he established a printshop in Orléans around 1549, where he began producing influential suites of engravings, starting with triumphal arches. His...