Giulio Bonasone’s engraving, “The Birth of John the Baptist”, c1550 after Jacopino del Conte

Giulio Bonasone (1500/10–1574)

“The Birth of John the Baptist” (TIB title), c1550 (1531–1576), after (as proposed by the BM) Jacopino del Conte (1513–1598) or (as proposed by Bartsch/TIB, but less likely) Jacopo da Pontormo (aka Jacopo Carrucci) (1494–1557), published in Rome by Carlo Losi (fl.1757–1805).

Engraving on laid paper with large margins and flattened centrefold.

Size: (sheet) 41.5 x 56.4 cm; (unevenly cut plate) 29.6 x 45.3 cm; (image borderline) 28.7 x 44.9 cm.

Lettered in plate: (lower centre) “Romæ apud Carolum Losi”; (on column pedestal) “IACOBVS/ FLORENTINVS/ IN VENTOR// NATIVITAS / BEATI IOANNIS / BAPTISTÆ// IVLIO B. F.”

State v (of v), with the erasure of previous publishers and the addition of the publication details for Losi.

TIB 28 (15).76 (131) (Suzanne Boorsch & John Spike [eds.] 1985, The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Sixteenth Century”, New York, Abaris Books, vol. 28, p. 280, cat. no. 76; vol 28 [comm.], pp. 285–86, cat. no. [2803].076 S5); Cumberland 50 (1793, p. 56); Huber 10 (vol. 3, p. 110); Armano 218 (p. 41); Le Blanc 71 (vol.1, p. 412); Massari 71 (1983, vol. 1, p. 66).

The British Museum offers the following description of this print: “The Birth of St John the Baptist who is held aloft by the woman at the left, Elizabeth is in the bed, the scene is set against classical architecture” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_H-7-74)

Regarding the quandary about the author of the original design of this print, TIB (vol. 28 [comm.], p. 285) proposes that this print “could well preserve a lost composition by Jacopino del Conte”, as it may reproduce “a rejected design by Jacopino from around 1538 for the scene of this subject in the Oratory of S. Giovanni Decollato, Rome.” Interestingly, the rejection of the design may have arisen because of “rivalry between Jacopino and [Francesco] Salviati while they both worked on projects at the Oratorio.” TIB goes on to explain that “Bartsch's misattribution of this design to Pontormo can be traced to a 1731 description by [Pierre] Mariette in a letter to Gaburri” (cited by Giovanni Bottari [1757] in “Raccolta di lettere sulla pittura, scultura ed architettura scritte da'più celebri personaggi che in dette arti fiorirono dal secolo XV. al XVII ..”, vol. 2, p. 231; see https://archive.org/details/raccoltadiletter02bott/page/230/mode/2up).

Condition: a well-printed and slightly silvery impression with generously wide margins and a flattened centrefold. The sheet has surface dustiness (mainly visible in the margins) and there seems to be some offsetting of ink within the image on the lower left, otherwise the sheet is in good condition with no significant issues.

I am selling this large old master engraving from a late edition by Carlo Losi showing an episode from the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:57–64) in which Zacharias (who has been struck dumb by an angel) is portrayed writing the name of the baby held aloft by the woman at left—for the total cost of AU$327 (currently US$229.04/EUR202.38/GBP173.05 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 late impression of a rare engraving exemplifying the period style of Mannerism, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

Jan de Bisschop’s etching of six old master studies

Jan de Bisschop (aka Johannes Episcopius) (1628–71) after drawings by: Angelo Bronzino (1503–72) (?); Annibale Carracci (1560–1609); Domenichino (1581–1641) (?); Michelangelo (1475–1564); Jacopo da Pontormo (1494–1557) (?); Raphael (1483–1520).

“Plate 28”, from the first edition of “Paradigmata Graphices Variorum Artificum” printed in The Hague in 1671.

Etching on fine laid paper with margins and binding crease (as published).

Size: (sheet) 20 x 31.2 cm; (plate) 14.5 x 23.3 cm

Inscribed below the images:  "Annib. Carats. inv.''; "Mich. Ang. inv."; "Rafael"; “JE” (monogram of the artist) “F.”; "28".

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Five male figures, nude or partly nude, in different attitudes and of different scales; the figures are described below in the following order: top row left, top row centre, followed by the bottom row from left to right; (a) male nude, bowed over his right bent knee, turning away from the spectator; (b) male nude, lying face downward and forward, only the upper part of the body is shown; (c) labouring slave, holding a piece of wood at right with both hands, facing right; (d) male nude seen from the back and turned away from the spectator, kneeling on his right knee and holding both hands before his face; (e) male nude, the upper part of the body turned away from the spectator, one arm raised ;after Carracci, Michelangelo and Raphael” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3374911&partId=1&searchText=Bisschop+28&page=1?bibId=4603)

Hollstein 6 (Hollstein, F W H, Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts c.1450-1700, Amsterdam, 1949); Van Gelder 1985 I.249.2 (Van Gelder, Jan; Jost, Ingrid, Jan de Bisschop and his Icones & Paradigmata, 2, Doornspijk, Davaco, 1985).

Condition: a marvellous first edition impression with margins and binding crease (as published). There is light yellowing to the centre of the binding crease and towards the edges of the sheet, as to be expected in such an early print.

I am selling this highly desirable and historically significant, 17th century, first edition print for AU$176 in total (currently US$131.81/EUR118.31/GBP101.46 at the time of posting this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing major etching by Bisschop, 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

This engraving from the first edition of “Paradigmata Graphices Variorum Artificum” printed in 1671 is one of the more complex engravings by Bisschop involving graphic translations of drawings by old masters.

The curator of the British Museum offers the following insights about the six figure studies featured in this print:

“These examples were chosen after different drawings and arranged according De Bisschop's own ideas. The figures are described below in the following order: top row left, top row centre, followed by the bottom row from left to right.

(a) This figure is similar to the youth in the bottom left corner of Annibale Carracci's fresco 'Romulus marking the boundaries of Rome' in the Palazzo Magnani in Bologna, and, to a lesser extent to Annibale's drawing of a 'Kneeling Youth with Books' in the Uffizi (inv. no. 12 413 F).

(b) This is probably a detail of the lost 'Deluge' by Pontormo and Bronzino in the choir of the S. Lorenzo in Florence. The inscription of Michelangelo's name might be intended for this figure, as other parts of the same fresco reproduces by De Bisschop in plates 12 (1850,0810.765) and 13 (1896,0528.766) are also inscribed with his name.

(c) De Bisschop's etching is a reduced reproduction in reverse of a drawing by Annibale Carracci called 'Galley Slave labouring at the Oar' in red chalk, inscribed "Annibale Carracci", now in the Claude Aubry collection in Paris.

(d) Close to this figure is the inscription "Rafael". In the Rutgers collection however, De Bisschop's model was regarded as a Domenichino drawing. Neither this, nor any intermediary drawing by de Bisschop has been traced.

(e) Van Gelder states that this is in all likelihood a detail, reproduced in reverse, from Pontormo's 'Ascension of Souls', formerly on the rear wall on either side of the window in the choir of S. Lorenzo in Florence.

No intermediary drawings by De Bisschop have come to light. The image was rotated 90º to right to fit page.” (http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3374911&partId=1&searchText=Bisschop+28&page=1?bibId=4603)