Cornelis van Dalen II’s engraving, “Joannes Bocatius”, c.1655, after Titian

Cornelis van Dalen II (1638–1664)

“Joannes Bocatius”—aka Giovanni Boccaccio (1313–1375), the famous Florentine poet and author of “The Decameron” (see BM’s biographical details); alternatively the portrait may show the Napolitan poet, Jacopo Sannazaro (1458–1530)—c.1655, after Titian’s (aka Tiziano Vecellio) (1489/90–1576) painting in the Royal Collection at Hampton Court (inv. no. 68), from the series of 34 plates commissioned in 1655, “Variarum imaginum a celeberrimis artificibus pictarum Caelaturae” (Engravings of various images painted by famous artists) (aka “Cabinet Reynst”), reproducing the collection of the brothers, Gerard and Jan Reynst and published in England by Abraham Blooteling (aka Abraham Blootelingh: Abraham Blotelingh) (1640–1690).

Engraving on laid paper trimmed with a narrow margin around the image borderline and text lines, backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 37.8 x 28.6 cm; (image borderline) 35.1 x 28.1 cm.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (centre) “JOANNES BOCATIUS/ Tizian Pinxit […] C [V] DalenJunior Sculp. […] A. Blooteling Excudit.”

State iii (of iii) with the addition of lettering.

Hollstein 110 (F.W.H. Hollstein 1951, “Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts ca. 1450–1700: Cornelisz. – Dou”, Amsterdam, Menno Hertzberger, p. 107, cat. no. 110-3).

Condition: a strong and well-printed (superb!) impression trimmed with narrow margins around the image borderline and lines of text. Beyond minor restorations along the upper edge, the sheet is in a very good condition for its size and considerable age with no tears, holes, folds or significant stains and is laid onto a support sheet of archival (millennium quality) washi paper.

I am selling this large and spectacularly fine engraving, for AU$328 (currently US$219.24/EUR198.36/GBP174.62 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries.

If you are interested in purchasing this magnificent portrait (after Titian) of (arguably) Giovanni Boccaccio, the author of one of the classic (if rather licentious) Italian stories, “The Decameron” (c.1348–53)—described by Wikipedia as “100 tales told by a group of seven young women and three young men …[as they sheltered] in a secluded villa just outside Florence in order to escape the Black Death, which was afflicting the city” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Decameron)—, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.