Design for a Lavabo, Plate 85 from Dietterlin's Architectura
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 13 7/16 x 9 3/16 in. (34.2 x 23.3 cm) plate: 9 1/2 x 7 3/16 in. (24.2 x 18.3 cm)
Classification
Prints|Ornament & Architecture
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.741
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Wendel Dietterlin the Elder a pioneering German architect and artist of the late Renaissance, created this etching in 1598 as Plate 85 from his influential treatise *Architectura*. Titled *Design for a Lavabo it depicts an ornate washbasin—typically used for ritual handwashing in ecclesiastical or grand domestic settings—adorned with fantastical Mannerist flourishes. Measuring about 9½ x 7¼ inches on the plate, the print showcases intricate strapwork, grotesque figures, and classical motifs twisted into exuberant, asymmetrical forms. Dietterlin's *Architectura*, published in Stuttgart, was a ...