Altered and adorned

Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506), Battle of the Sea Gods, 1470/1500.

ALTERED AND ADORNED,

using renaissance prints in daily life.

"Though Renaissance-era prints are typically kept out of sight in museum vaults today, these decorative objects were once a central part of everyday life—used, abused, adored, and adorned by their owners. Through over 100 objects, this exhibition showcases how early print owners handled these versatile artworks, from annotating them or cutting and pasting them onto books, boxes, and walls to transforming them into three-dimensional objects.

The experimental world of printmaking in the mid-15th and 16th centuries inspired an array of related objects, including illustrated books, wearable ornaments, printed sundials, anatomical charts with liftable flaps, and devotional images. The rich and long-overlooked history of this era’s prints comes to life in this exhibition, which focuses on their various uses and functions in the past as reflected in their condition today."

The Art Institute of Chicago April 30, 2011–July 10, 2011