Design for a Wall Decoration over an Arched Doorway with Grimani Arms

Design for a Wall Decoration over an Arched Doorway with Grimani Arms

Bernardino India

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This design for a wall decoration or a façade depicts four female figures around the arms of the Venetian noble family Grimani. From left to right, the figures may be identified as allegorical representations of Magnanimity (or Venice Triumphant), Justice, Peace, and Constancy. Executed in pen and ink, brush and brown washes, it is a typical example of the draftsmanship of Bernardino India, who was particularly receptive to the Mannerism emanating from Mantua (Giulio Romano) and Parma (Parmigianino).

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Design for a Wall Decoration over an Arched Doorway with Grimani ArmsDesign for a Wall Decoration over an Arched Doorway with Grimani ArmsDesign for a Wall Decoration over an Arched Doorway with Grimani ArmsDesign for a Wall Decoration over an Arched Doorway with Grimani ArmsDesign for a Wall Decoration over an Arched Doorway with Grimani Arms

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.