Heraldic design with two unicorns

Heraldic design with two unicorns from Architectvra: Von Außtheilung, Symmetria vnd Proportion der Fünff Seulen (Strassburg, 1598), 1593-94 (published 1598)

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Wendel Dietterlin was a mannerist painter primarily active in Strassburg (now Strasbourg) during the last quarter of the 16th century. Though only one of his paintings is known to survive, several large-scale projects are documented, including frescoes for the residence of the bishop of Strassburg and an enormous ceiling and the walls of the same room in the pleasure palace of Duke Ludwig of Württemberg.

A sense of Dietterlin's unbridled inventiveness is readily gained from perusal of the 209 etched plates in his "Architectvra: Von Außtheilung, Symmetria vnd Proportion der Fünff Seulen," originally issued in two parts in 1593 and 1594, then republished as a single volume in 1598. The over-the-top complexity in Heraldic Design with Two Unicorns from this publication is a fine specimen from one of the greatest compendia of mannerist architecture, and is an engagingly bizarre image.

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Details
Title
Heraldic design with two unicorns from Architectvra: Von Außtheilung, Symmetria vnd Proportion der Fünff Seulen (Strassburg, 1598)
Artist Life
c. 1550-1599
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2010.95.2
Provenance
Christopher Mendez, London, until 1989; sold to Rassieur; Tom Rassieur, 1989-2010; given to MIA
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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Heraldic design with two unicorns