Vlakdecoratie met grotesken, in het midden staat een kandelaber 1480 - 1536

This is a metalcut titled "Vlakdecoratie met grotesken, in het midden staat een kandelaber", created by Daniel Hopfer in the late 15th or early 16th century. The print presents a symmetrical arrangement of fantastical and grotesque figures, organized around a central candelabra. The composition teems with hybrid creatures, cherubs, and ornamental details that create a dense, patterned surface. The use of line is particularly striking. Hopfer employs a variety of strokes to define forms and textures, and the symmetry lends a sense of balance and order to the design. The print can be understood through the lens of structuralism, where the symmetrical layout and repeating motifs function as a visual language. Here, the grotesque elements destabilize conventional aesthetics by combining disparate forms into uncanny figures. In closing, the intricate design and play with symmetry and asymmetry invite us to consider how it both constructs and deconstructs established notions of beauty and order.