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A Headpiece in the Form of a Fan

A work made of engraving on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of engraving on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1589/95

Artist:

Agostino Carracci
Italian, 1557-1602

About this artwork

Agostino Carracci’s fanciful ostrich feather headdress engraving could be cut out and mounted on a stiff backing, then secured to a woman’s festive coiffure. The central oval cameo of the virgin huntress Diana offers the wearer one identity; three other ovals could replace it or the smaller scene of a voyeuristic satyr observing bathing nymphs. These alternate cameos include the wiser goddess Minerva, the three Graces dancing, and Minerva and Poseidon. The relatively damaged and scuffed surface of the engraving plate reinforces the idea that the print was meant to be cut out and assembled, and so keeping the margins pristine was unimportant.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Agostino Carracci

Title

A Headpiece in the Form of a Fan

Place

Italy (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1584–1600

Medium

Engraving on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image/sheet, cut within platemark: 37 × 24.8 cm (14 5/8 × 9 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

The Joseph Brooks Fair Collection

Reference Number

1942.250

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/44744/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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