Il Monte. Opera Nova di Recami, page 8 (verso) 1557 - 1570

Curator: This page comes from Giovanni Antonio Bindoni's "Il Monte. Opera Nova di Recami," printed sometime between 1557 and 1570. It's currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The piece presents a detailed engraving demonstrating Renaissance ornament and figuration. Editor: It strikes me as a very dynamic design. The composition seems to move despite being contained on the page. The figures almost spill out. Curator: The imagery here evokes the spirit of Renaissance classicism. The putti or cherubs suggest a kind of innocence but they're actively engaging with their environment, not passively angelic. Think about how pattern books like this played a role in standardizing decorative elements. Editor: Interesting, a form of early social media in a way, propagating aesthetic ideals. What about the choice of the engraved line? Is there some correlation with fresco tradition perhaps? Curator: Precisely! This was during a time when engravings disseminated artistic styles. An artist would utilize pattern books to then translate ornament in frescoes, creating a continuity from page to architectural design. It became an echo of Italian classicism, reproduced, revised. Editor: I appreciate this dissemination point—but why cherubs though? Is this religious influence appropriating something pre-existing perhaps? Or imbuing pre-existing pagan forms? Curator: You've got it. The winged figures of antiquity had powerful resonances, repurposed and absorbed in new symbolic roles during the Italian Renaissance. The humanistic lens of the era favored the appropriation of Graeco-Roman mythological figures and ideas. Editor: That really sheds light on the lasting power of imagery and its ability to transcend original meaning. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure, contemplating symbolic resilience always intrigues me, to remember this continues on even now, every day.