Ornamental frieze (A fine death brings honor to a whole life)
| Reference: | S42621 |
| Author | Nicoletto ROSEX detto Nicoletto da Modena |
| Year: | 1507 ca. |
| Measures: | 105 x 205 mm |
€1,500.00
| Reference: | S42621 |
| Author | Nicoletto ROSEX detto Nicoletto da Modena |
| Year: | 1507 ca. |
| Measures: | 105 x 205 mm |
€1,500.00
Description
Engraving, 1507 circa, inscribed on a tablet lower in the image: VN BEL MORIR TVTA/LA VITA HONORA (A fine death brings honor to a whole life).
“The small branch following the inscription may be intended as Nicoletto's device. The present work and its companion (.096) are unsigned but typical examples of Nicoletto's grotesque work, possibly executed during (or shortly after) the art- ist's trip to Rome in 1507, under the im- mediate impact of classical grottesche and their Renaissance imitations prior to the full development of the style in Giovanni da Udine. They are quite comparable to, though somewhat less complex and inven- tive than, the series of signed ornamental panels described above (.090-93). The inscription [quotation by Francesco Petrarca] on the present work seems unrelated to the imagery depicted.” Zucker, The Illustrated Bartsch 25, p. 233, n. 095.
“The fineness of the technique and the type of grotesque ornament em- ployed suggest that these prints were executed by Nicoletto during his first trip to Rome. We know that he visited the Golden House of Nero, which at that time was a prime source for the study of grotesque decoration, in 1507. Actually, Nicoletto did not directly imitate the Neronic style of ornament, as Giovanni da Udine was to do later instead he followed the interpretation of it developed by Pinturicchio, Signorelli, Aspertini, and others” (cf. Jacqueline L. Sheehan, Early Italian Engravings from the National Gallery of Art, no. 175).
Active between the end of the fifteenth century and the third decade of the sixteenth century, he was the most prolific of the early Italian engravers. After the beginnings in Emilia, in which appear clearly visible relations that Nicoletto entertained with the culture of Ferrara and with the workshop of Francesco Francia in Bologna, from 1487 the engraver is documented in Padua for about twenty years, he had the opportunity to mature, under the influence of the school of Andrea Mantegna, a free and eccentric vision of the ancient, is to be attributed the famous engraving depicting Four naked women, known in three copies and signed and dated 1500.
In 1507, Rosex moved to Rome. The Capitoline production is characterized by a renewed interest in the classical world, as evidenced by prints depicting Apelles, the Equestrian Statue of Marc'Aurelius and the series of ornamental panels, in which the grotesque decoration is treated as an independent subject. It is likely that the Roman stay was of short duration, since in 1510 Nicoletto is documented at work in the ducal palace of Modena. The activity of the last years, in which is recognizable the knowledge of the engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi and Giulio Campagnola, is recognizable for the preponderance of the architectural element and for the new centrality of the human figure in the space. Also the engraving sign is characterized by a greater homogeneity and by better shading.
A fine impression, printed on contemporary laid paper, four very small pinholes at corners, trimmed to the copperplate, in excellent condition. On verso collection mark not described by Lugt.
Bibliografia
M.J. Zucker, Nicoletto da Modena’s late works reconsidered, in Print Quarterly, VIII (1991), pp. 28-36; Passavant, 1864, vol V, p. 101 n. 108; Hind 7 p. 6; TIB 25, 095.
Nicoletto ROSEX detto Nicoletto da Modena (Attivo dal 1490 - 1525)
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Active between the end of the fifteenth century and the third decade of the sixteenth century, he was the most prolific of the early Italian engravers. Nonetheless, there is very little biographical information available about him, and even the eulogy drawn by Ludovico Vedriani (Raccolta de' pittori, scultori et architetti modenesi più celebriesi, Modena 1662), the only ancient source to report on the engraver, appears very generic.
After his beginnings in Emilia, where Nicoletto's relations with the culture of Ferrara and with Francesco Francia's workshop in Bologna are clearly visible, the engraver is documented in Padua for about twenty years after 1487. In 1487 and 1493 Rosex appears as a witness in three notarial acts of Padua, while in 1497 he received a payment in his favor from the Massaro dell'Arca del Santo for restoration work carried out in the Basilica of St. Anthony. To the stay in Padua, in which the Modenese had the opportunity to mature, under the influence of the school of Andrea Mantegna, a free and eccentric vision of the ancient, is to be traced the famous engraving depicting Four naked women, known in three copies and signed and dated 1500. In 1506 Rosex obtained his most important task: the bishop of Padua Pietro Barozzi commissioned him the decoration, then lost, of the chapel of his palace in Torre.
At the death of Barozzi, which occurred in 1507, Rosex moved to Rome. The Capitoline production is characterized by a renewed interest in the classical world, as evidenced by the prints depicting Apelles, the equestrian statue of Marc'Aurelio and the series of ornamental panels, in which the decoration grotesque is treated as an independent subject. It is likely that the Roman stay was of short duration, since in 1510 Nicoletto is documented at work in the ducal palace of Modena.
The payment in Modena is the last documentary trace that has emerged so far about Rosex, who in any case must have continued to be active at least until the beginning of the third decade of the sixteenth century, according to the date 1522 on the print of S. Rocco salva nos a peste. The activity of the last years, in which it is possible to recognize the knowledge of the engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi and Giulio Campagnola, appears recognizable for the preponderance of the architectural element and for the new centrality of the human figure in the space. Also the engraving sign is characterized by a greater homogeneity and by better shading. This change can be seen, for example, in the prints depicting S. Antonio abate and Pallas Athena, of clear imprint of Bramante, and in the postremi S. Rocco and S. Sebastian, of extraordinary volumetric rendering. (cfr. Gianluca Fruci, Nicoletto Rosex, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 88 (2017).
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Nicoletto ROSEX detto Nicoletto da Modena (Attivo dal 1490 - 1525)
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Active between the end of the fifteenth century and the third decade of the sixteenth century, he was the most prolific of the early Italian engravers. Nonetheless, there is very little biographical information available about him, and even the eulogy drawn by Ludovico Vedriani (Raccolta de' pittori, scultori et architetti modenesi più celebriesi, Modena 1662), the only ancient source to report on the engraver, appears very generic.
After his beginnings in Emilia, where Nicoletto's relations with the culture of Ferrara and with Francesco Francia's workshop in Bologna are clearly visible, the engraver is documented in Padua for about twenty years after 1487. In 1487 and 1493 Rosex appears as a witness in three notarial acts of Padua, while in 1497 he received a payment in his favor from the Massaro dell'Arca del Santo for restoration work carried out in the Basilica of St. Anthony. To the stay in Padua, in which the Modenese had the opportunity to mature, under the influence of the school of Andrea Mantegna, a free and eccentric vision of the ancient, is to be traced the famous engraving depicting Four naked women, known in three copies and signed and dated 1500. In 1506 Rosex obtained his most important task: the bishop of Padua Pietro Barozzi commissioned him the decoration, then lost, of the chapel of his palace in Torre.
At the death of Barozzi, which occurred in 1507, Rosex moved to Rome. The Capitoline production is characterized by a renewed interest in the classical world, as evidenced by the prints depicting Apelles, the equestrian statue of Marc'Aurelio and the series of ornamental panels, in which the decoration grotesque is treated as an independent subject. It is likely that the Roman stay was of short duration, since in 1510 Nicoletto is documented at work in the ducal palace of Modena.
The payment in Modena is the last documentary trace that has emerged so far about Rosex, who in any case must have continued to be active at least until the beginning of the third decade of the sixteenth century, according to the date 1522 on the print of S. Rocco salva nos a peste. The activity of the last years, in which it is possible to recognize the knowledge of the engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi and Giulio Campagnola, appears recognizable for the preponderance of the architectural element and for the new centrality of the human figure in the space. Also the engraving sign is characterized by a greater homogeneity and by better shading. This change can be seen, for example, in the prints depicting S. Antonio abate and Pallas Athena, of clear imprint of Bramante, and in the postremi S. Rocco and S. Sebastian, of extraordinary volumetric rendering. (cfr. Gianluca Fruci, Nicoletto Rosex, in Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani - Volume 88 (2017).
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