Code: 11656
Dimensions:
"The Origin of Painting"
Francesco Bartolozzi, R.A. (1728–1815)
Stipple engraving coloured by hand
with original verre églomisé mount & frame
Published Antonio Poggi (1744-1836)
London, 1786
Measures:-
23 cm high x 26.5 cm wide (octagonal)
A fascinating print by Bartolozzi which has been "classicized" to resemble a Roman wall painting and is presented in an extremely authentic 18th Century style with its original verre églomisé mount and antique octagonal, water-gilded frame. The publication details have been lost beneath the black silhouetting of the print - but the original title is still faintly visible within the red ochre border to the bottom.
The image shows Cupid guiding the hand of a female artist as she draws around the shadow of her lover's profile on the wall, cast by the light of the oil-lamp to the right. This is Bartolozzi's take on a story from Pliny the Elder's "Natural History" which relates the legend that the art of painting began with Kora of Sicyon (the "Corinthian Maid"), daughter of the potter Butades. It is said that, before he left on a long voyage, Kora drew around the shadow of her beau's profile on a wall as a memento to recall him by and that, in doing so, she invented the art of painting and portraiture.
The story was a popular subject for a number of 18th-century artists. For a similar print, cut to an oval, see Victoria & Albert Museum, Department of Prints & Drawings E.538-1950
Good condition. Some delamination to the verre églomisé.
