Disegni Del Mantegna
Print
1795-7 (printed and published)
1795-7 (printed and published)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Despite Francecso Novelli’s series of prints being titled ‘Disegni Del Mantegna’, the drawings which the engravings are based upon are in fact those produced by Italian painter and draughtsman Marco Zoppo. Discovered in Padua during the eighteenth century, the drawings were wrongly attributed to Andrea Mantegna by Novelli, resulting in him producing his series of prints in regards to Mantegna. The title-page of the series features a bust portrait of Mantegna, as well as an inscription praising the artist, whilst a majority of the plates feature Mantegna’s name as the draughtsman. The collection of drawings, which are now held in the collection of the British Museum, were considered to be the work of Mantegna until 1923, when Claude Phillips instigated the notion that the drawings could have in fact been produced by Zoppo. Although fifty drawings in pen and ink on parchment by Zoppo are featured in the volume, the collection of engravings by Novelli contains forty-four plates, with a frontispiece, and two pages of dedication featured alongside. Despite the dedication noting that the series contained fifty plates, only forty-four were produced. The series would have originally been issued as loose plates, so the card portfolio that the plates are now bound within would have been a later addition.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Disegni Del Mantegna (series title) |
Materials and techniques | printer's ink, paper, engraving |
Brief description | Plate 3 from Francesco Novelli's 'Disegni Del Mantegna', Madonna and Child. |
Physical description | Engraving of Madonna and Child, set within an arched opening, and with a decorated frieze below |
Dimensions |
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Content description | Central to the image are the Madonna and Child, with Mary holding Jesus upright whilst he places his feet upon a cushion. Two young boys stand slightly behind, one either side of the central figures, with the boy to the right playing a musical instrument. The figures are set within and arched opening, with swags hanging across the top. Extending forward from the opening is a ledge, which the Child stands upon. Scattered on top of the legde are apples, pears, and a book, whilst the front of the ledge is decorated with three reliefs. The relief to the left features a reclining figure, and the relief to the right depicts a child playing with a dog. The central relief is more decorative, featuring wreaths, and an adorned animal skull. |
Style | |
Marks and inscriptions |
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Subjects depicted | |
Association | |
Summary | Despite Francecso Novelli’s series of prints being titled ‘Disegni Del Mantegna’, the drawings which the engravings are based upon are in fact those produced by Italian painter and draughtsman Marco Zoppo. Discovered in Padua during the eighteenth century, the drawings were wrongly attributed to Andrea Mantegna by Novelli, resulting in him producing his series of prints in regards to Mantegna. The title-page of the series features a bust portrait of Mantegna, as well as an inscription praising the artist, whilst a majority of the plates feature Mantegna’s name as the draughtsman. The collection of drawings, which are now held in the collection of the British Museum, were considered to be the work of Mantegna until 1923, when Claude Phillips instigated the notion that the drawings could have in fact been produced by Zoppo. Although fifty drawings in pen and ink on parchment by Zoppo are featured in the volume, the collection of engravings by Novelli contains forty-four plates, with a frontispiece, and two pages of dedication featured alongside. Despite the dedication noting that the series contained fifty plates, only forty-four were produced. The series would have originally been issued as loose plates, so the card portfolio that the plates are now bound within would have been a later addition. |
Bibliographic reference | 260
Popham, A E; Pouncey, Philip, The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries, London, BMP, 1950 |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.753-1903 |
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Record created | June 30, 2009 |
Record URL |
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