Grotto

Grotto
   Fantasy-type structure used to decorate a garden, as exemplified by the grotto in the Boboli Gardens, Florence, created for the Medici by Giorgio Vasari and Bernardo Buontalenti (1556-1560; façade 1583-1593). This Mannerist edifice presents a fusion of art and nature. Pumice stalactites mingle with classical motifs to create a structure that seems to have grown on the site rather than having been constructed. The interior is dark and cavelike. Again, pumice stone formations appear throughout. To enhance the effect of natural and man-made forms, outdoor scenes were frescoed on the walls while Michelangelo's caryatid-like figures support the weight of the vault. In the deepest portion of the interior is a fountain with a statue of a nude Venus by Giovanni da Bologna that seeks to recreate the birth of the goddess from the sea foam. The bizarre forms of Renaissance grottoes have earned them the appellation in Italian of bizzarrie.

Historical dictionary of Renaissance art. . 2008.

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  • Grotto — Morchino, Pazzallo Lugano, in Hermann Hesses Novelle Klingsors letzter Sommer von 1919 erwähnt Als Grotto bezeichnet man in der italienischen Schweiz (Kanton Tessin) ein rustikales Lokal mit grosszügig angelegtem Restaurationsbereich im Freien… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • grotto — grot to (gr[o^]t t[ o]), n.; pl. {Grottoes} (gr[o^]t t[=o]z). [Formerly grotta, fr. It. grotta, LL. grupta, fr. L. crypta a concealed subterranean passage, vault, cavern, Gr. kry pth, fr. krypto s concealed, fr. kry ptein to conceal. Cf. {Grot},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Grotto — Grotto, falsche Schreibweise für Luigi Groto (s. d.) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • grotto — / grɔt:o/ s.m. [da grotta ]. 1. (non com.) [luogo scosceso] ▶◀ dirupo. ‖ abisso, anfratto, baratro, burrone, precipizio, strapiombo. 2. (estens., region.) [luogo in cui si vende e si beve vino] ▶◀ cantina, osteria …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • grotto — 1610s, from It. grotta, ultimately from L. crypta vault, cavern, from Gk. krypte hidden place (see CRYPT (Cf. crypt)). Terminal o may be from its being spelled that way in many translations of Dante s Divine Comedy …   Etymology dictionary

  • grotto — has the plural form grottoes …   Modern English usage

  • grotto — [n] cave antre, cavern, cavity, chamber, den, hollow, rock shelter, subterrane, underground chamber; concept 509 …   New thesaurus

  • grotto — ► NOUN (pl. grottoes or grottos) ▪ a small picturesque cave, especially an artificial one in a park or garden. ORIGIN Italian grotta, from Greek krupt vault …   English terms dictionary

  • grotto — [grät′ō] n. pl. grottoes or grottos [It grotta < ML grupta < VL crupta, for L crypta, CRYPT] 1. a cave 2. a cavelike summerhouse, shrine, etc …   English World dictionary

  • Grotto — For other uses, see Grotto (disambiguation). A Marian grotto in Bischofferode (Germany) A grotto (Italian grotta and French grotte ) is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans.… …   Wikipedia

  • grotto — grottoed, adj. grottolike, adj. /grot oh/, n., pl. grottoes, grottos. 1. a cave or cavern. 2. an artificial cavernlike recess or structure. [1610 20; < It grotta < VL *crupta, for L crypta subterranean passage, chamber. See CRYPT] * * * ▪ cave… …   Universalium

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