Stucco strapwork (top and bottom) by Rosso Fiorentino in the Palace of Fontainebleau, 1530s

Modern reproduction harpsicord uses strapwork motifs based on a Flemish book of 1579, mixed in with grotesque elements.

In the history of art and design, the term strapwork refers to a stylised representation of strips or bands of curling leather parchment or metal cut into elaborate shapes, with piercings and often interwoven. Strapwork is a frequent element of grotesques -- arabesque or candelabra figures filled with fantastical creatures, garlands and other elements -- which were a frequent decorative motif in 16th cdentury Mannerism, and revived in the 19th century and which may appear on walls -- painted, in frescos, carved in wood, or molded in plaster or stucco -- or in graphic work.

Strapwork was found earlier, but really came to prominence after it was used in stucco in the enormous elaborate decorative frames designed by Rosso Fiorentino for the Palace of Fontainebleau in the 1530s. Thereafter, spread by prints, it became part of the vocabulary of Northern Mannerist ornament.

[edit] References

• Grove Art

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