Ornamental Panel 1514 - 1536

This ornamental panel was made by Agostino Veneziano around the early 16th century. Notice how the panel overflows with symbols, echoing ancient myths and Renaissance ideals. An eagle, the king of birds, sits atop a cornucopia overflowing with foliage, while a grotesque mask surveys two figures framed beneath. These motifs—symbols of power, abundance, and transformation—were deeply embedded in the Renaissance imagination, drawing from classical antiquity. Observe the grotesque mask; a face that appears in Roman art. The image carries echoes of theatrical masks used in ancient plays, symbolizing transformation and the exploration of human nature. It reappears throughout art history, transformed from a marker of comedic or tragic expression into a powerful symbol of the subconscious. The grotesque mask is an eternal expression of repressed desires and fears, reappearing endlessly in the human psyche.