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Object Timeline

1944

  • We acquired this object.

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2025

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Print, Grotesque with Dolphins and Winged Lions

This is a Print. It was engraved by Master of the Die. It is dated 1532 and we acquired it in 1944. Its medium is engraving on laid paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.



One from a series of six that Master of the Die created after Perino del Vaga, these prints were likely diseminated throughout northern Europe, spreading the genre of the grotesque. Here, classical dolphins, serpents, and putti mingle amid symmetrical scrolling vines, but the most compelling creatures are the two lion-headed figures whose snaking, acanthus covered tails form the base of a candelabrum motif.

It is credited Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John I. Kane.

  • Print, Pendant Design
  • engraving on paper.
  • Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council.
  • 1921-6-469-15

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Its dimensions are

Mat: 45.7 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14 in.)

Cite this object as

Print, Grotesque with Dolphins and Winged Lions; Engraved by Master of the Die; Italy; engraving on laid paper; Mat: 45.7 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14 in.); Museum purchase through gift of Mrs. John I. Kane; 1944-82-1-a

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Fragile Beasts.

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-6.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18572345/ |title=Print, Grotesque with Dolphins and Winged Lions |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=23 March 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>