Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione, “Head of a Man with Turban and Fur Hat”, 1645–50

Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (aka Il Grechetto) (1609–1664)

“Head of a Man with Turban and Fur Hat” (aka “Man with a Long Beard, Wearing a Headdress and Fur Cap, Facing Right” [TIB title]; “Un homme à barbe assez longue …”), 1645–50, from the series of six plates (according to the Rijksmuseum and Bartsch, or five plates according to Bellini), “Large Studies of Heads in Oriental Headdress”, printed from the original plate and published in 1816 in London by John McCreery in the album, “200 Etchings”.

Etching on fine wove (China?) paper trimmed along the platemark (as published by McCreery) and backed with a support sheet

Size: (sheet) 19 x 13.7 cm.

Inscribed on plate at upper right: “CASTILIONE”.

TIB 46.48 (Paolo Bellini [ed.] 1982, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Seventeenth Century”, vol 46, New York, Abaris Books, p. 51, cat. no 48 [32]); Bellini 1982 41 (Paolo Bellini 1982, “L'Opera incisa di Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione”, Milan, Comune di Milano, p. 133, cat. no. 41); Bartsch XXI.32.48.

The Curator of the British Museum offers the following interesting insights about the series in which this print features: “They were originally etched with small landscapes along the short sides (a very early remarque). …the landscapes were cut away and separately printed” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1871-0812-42).

See also the following insight about the series offered by the Rijksmuseum: This series of heads with oriental headdresses is inspired by similar etchings by Rembrandt and Lievens” (https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200123985).

For those who love insights into the lives of the old masters, the following insights about Castiglione may be fascinating:

1. Castiglione invented the monotype process (i.e. “A single print taken from a design created in oil paint or printing ink on glass or metal” [Oxford Dictionary]);

2. Castiglione “discovered” Rembrandt and “is the first artist in Italy known to have borrowed directly from the Dutch master” (Timothy J Standring & Martin Clayton, 2013, “Castiglione: Lost Genius”, Royal Collection Trust, p. 43);

3. He purportedly threw his sister off a rooftop (Standring & Clayton, 2013);

4. He accused his brother of being a thief and an assassin and sent him to jail. (Standring & Clayton, 2013);

5. He almost killed his nephew with relentless punches (Standring & Clayton, 2013);

6. Castiglione “pioneered the development of the oil sketch” (Wikipedia).

Condition: a well-printed impression with no sign of wear to the printing plate, trimmed along the platemark (as published by McCreery) in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, or stains and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this superb etching by the artist argued to be the inventor of the monotype for the total cost of AU$392 (approximately US$256.08, EUR 218.51 or GBP 186.66), including express mail shipping worldwide. Import duties, if any, are the responsibility of the buyer.

If you are interested in purchasing this near faultless (albeit late) impression by one of the most important of the old masters, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold