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Nymph of Fontainebleau

A work made of chiaroscuro woodcut in black, brown, and ocher on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of chiaroscuro woodcut in black, brown, and ocher on ivory laid paper.

Date:

after 1545

Artist:

Unknown artist
Probably French, 16th century

About this artwork

The Nymph of Fontainebleau appeared in several guises at King Francis I’s charming getaway outside of Paris. This chiaroscuro woodcut by an unknown artist refers to a bronze relief sculpture by the Italian Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini. Francis commissioned this sculpture of the mythological woodland creature to go over the main entryway to the château. While differently composed than the relief, this print retains the detail of the spilling water vase, the nymph’s languorous posture, and the plenitude of animals. Closely following the sculpture, the woodcut even places the antlered stag at dead center. This impression is one of only two known of this very rare print.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Unknown

Title

Nymph of Fontainebleau

Place

Netherlands (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.

1546–1600

Medium

Chiaroscuro woodcut in black, brown, and ocher on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 11.8 × 16.2 cm (4 11/16 × 6 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Prints and Drawings Department Purchase Fund

Reference Number

1955.1068

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/84406/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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