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Venue Information

Getting there

IN THE GROTTO

From: Saturday 03 May 2008  To: Sunday 03 August 2008

IN THE GROTTO
3 May - 3 August 2008
NATIONAL GALLERY COMPLEX, The Mound, Edinburgh
Admission free

'The Grotesque' is the term given to an extravagant decorative style which features strange human and animal creatures, interlaced with decorative garlands, festoons and vegetation to produce an ornamental effect. This type of fanciful decoration was re-discovered during the Renaissance as a result of the excavation of ancient Roman houses. The style gained its name from the deep underground chambers or grottoes in which the designs were found. The fantastic elements of Grotesque became popular with Renaissance artists and craftsmen and remained so across the centuries. One of the first artists to develop the use of grottesche was Raphael. His decorations for the Loggias in the Vatican Palace incorporated a series of innovative motifs inspired the Gold House of Nero in Rome, which was excavated at the beginning of the sixteenth century. This display will feature around 30 prints and drawings showing the very ornate designs produced by artists and craftsmen, mostly for fairly ordinary household items. These are some of the most sumptuous and imaginative design ideas of all time.

 
 
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