Three Children Blowing Horns

1508

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

Three Children Blowing Horns is a 1508 by Giovanni Pietro da Birago, a Renaissance work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Giovanni Pietro da Birago
When & what style?: 1508 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

This painting shows three kids blowing party horns. They’re dressed in fancy early-1500s Italian clothes. One holds a curled-up scroll like a party favor. The panels were printed, then colored by hand. They look like wall decorations, not normal pictures. Artists probably copied these patterns for wood panels or metalwork. If you like this, check out the same museum where it lives. The Cleveland Museum of Art

The story of this work

Overview

Printed ornamental columns were probably colored and used for interior decorations. The printed panels may have also served artists and craftsmen creating similar patterns in other materials, including wood, stone, or metal.

Read the full account in the museum source.