The Annunciation
| Reference: | S48407 |
| Author | Federico BAROCCI |
| Year: | 1584 ca. |
| Measures: | 316 x 437 mm |
€15,000.00
| Reference: | S48407 |
| Author | Federico BAROCCI |
| Year: | 1584 ca. |
| Measures: | 316 x 437 mm |
€15,000.00
Description
The Annunciation, with a view of Urbino through a window and a sleeping cat in the foreground.
Etching and engraving, circa 1584, with engraved inscription at lower right “Federicus Baroccius Urbin invenit et sculpsit”.
Example in the second state, with the addition of the inscription; of the first state - a proof - only one specimen is known, preserved in the British Museum collection.
Magnificent proof, rich in tone, printed on contemporary laid paper with “lily in the circle” watermark (described as typical of early impressions of The Annunciation), trimmed to copperplate, a paper fold in the middle, otherwise in excellent condition.
The Annunciation, the finest and best known of Barocci's prints, reproduces one of his paintings commissioned by the Duke of Urbino, Francesco Maria della Rovere, for a chapel in the Basilica of Loreto (now in the Vatican Pinacoteca); it was executed by Barocci between 1582 and 1584. It has been speculated that the duke may have encouraged Barocci to replicate the painting in etching. The print was published by the artist himself, and the plate remained in his studio at the time of his death. Barocci's only surviving plate, in the 18th century it entered the Calcografia in Rome, where it stands today.
Executed between 1584, when the painting was completed, and 1588, when it was copied as an engraving by Philippe Thomassin, The Annunciation represents Barocci's peak as a printmaker. The tender and memorable composition and skillful execution, full of virtuosity in the handling of light and modeling, were emulated by subsequent generations of artists and printmakers. The concreteness and naturalism of the concept are underscored by the topographically accurate view through the window of a darkened room, where the sacred event takes place in a divine light bursting from above. The light falls on the two protagonists, emphasizing their solidity and sculptural qualities. In the draperies of the Virgin and the angel, Barocci suggests weight, thickness, and texture to a much greater degree than he did in The Vision of St. Francis, some four years earlier. The drapery of the angel shows a repertoire of dots and lines, ranging from pale stippling to heavy hatching, each used to indicate a change in plane, an increase or decrease in fabric. By varying the line pattern and the length of time of the morsure, Barocci obtained a full range of tones and was thus able to replicate the modeling and even suggest the colors of the painted prototype. Essential when desired, the artist uses minimal strokes in some light areas, where the sensitivity and immediacy of his drawing can be appreciated. This is evident in the handling of the lily flowers, the angel's wings, and the hair of both figures.
“This is one of only four prints that Barocci executed himself; it must have been the last of the four. The composition is very closely related to an altarpiece of the Annunciation that he executed between 1582 and 1584 for the chapel of the Duke of Urbino at Loreto. The painting is now in the Vatican. An engraving by Philippe Thomassin, dated 1588, copies the Barocci print in reverse, providing a 'terminus ante quem' for Barocci's work (Bruwaert 1876, p.69, no.11). Turner (1999, pp.219-220, no.343) drew attention to a drawing in Budapest which corresponds in size more or less exactly with the print. It has been squared with a stylus, and the outlines have been extensively gone over with the same instrument (Turner, 2000, p.147). This strongly implies that the composition had been reduced from something larger, perhaps from a cartoon for the painting. There are differences between the drawing and the painting, particularly in the relation between the angel and the architecture of the room, which show that the drawing was not, however, a mechanical reduction of the finished painting. The plate was recorded in the inventory of Barocci's possessions drawn up at the time of his death in 1612 (Studi e Notizie, 1913, p.82). It is significant that Barocci used the term 'excudit' on the plate, meaning that he had control of the printing; whereas in the case of the Perdono, his other comparably ambitious plate, he described himself only as having engraved it (incidebat). Whereas the Perdono may have been done in association with the Franciscans of Urbino, he personally controlled the printing and distribution of the Annunciation. Loreto was one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe and he may have decided to try to exploit this fact to earn extra money from his composition” (Michael Bury, 'The Print in Italy 1550-1620', cat.30).
Very fine example with prestigious provenance. Collection signature, on verso, of William Esdaile (Lugt n. 2617):
https://www.marquesdecollections.fr/FtDetail/d96b9b7f-010e-b345-be76-7f3d05d3d839
and a collection stamp at the bottom near Barocci's signature. Although unidentified, it is catalogued in the Lugt (n. 4695):
https://www.marquesdecollections.fr/FtDetail/b5563495-4641-9c47-a9a6-2a7927236bed
Bibliografia
Bartsch, Le Peintre graveur (XVII.2.1); Michael Bury, 'The Print in Italy 1550-1620', cat.30; Le Blanc C., Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, 1, V. 1 p. 149; C.A. Petrucci, Catalogo Generale delle Stampe tratte dai rami incisi posseduti dalla Calcografia Nazionale, 83, p. 19, 1953; Edmund P. Pillsbury and Louise S. Richards, The graphic art of Federico Barocci, selected drawings and prints, p. 105, cat.nr. 75; S. Welsh Reed, Italian Etchers of The Reinassance & Baroque, pp.96-98, n. 44; L. Baroni, Federico Barocci. La stampa dell'Annunciazione.
Federico BAROCCI (Urbino 1535 - 1612)
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Federico Barocci or Baroccio known as Fiori (Urbino, 1535? - Urbino, September 30, 1612) was a painter and engraver. His elegant style makes him considered an important exponent of Italian Mannerism and Counter-Reformation art. He is considered one of the precursors of the Baroque. Born in Urbino to a family of Lombard origins (Ambrogio Barocci or Ambrogio da Milano, a 15th-century sculptor, was his ancestor), Barocci is one of the most important painters in the (often little considered) period of art during the Counter-Reformation, which lies between Correggio and Caravaggio. His early career in Rome was fast and brilliant, inspired by Raphael, admired by a now elderly Michelangelo, and advised by Taddeo Zuccari. Barocci's adherence to the Counter-Reformation conditioned his long and fruitful career. A key figure was St. Philip Neri, whose Oratories sought to reconnect the realm of the spirit with people's daily lives. St. Philip commissioned Barocci to paint an altarpiece with the Visitation for his Chiesa Nuova (Santa Maria in Vallicella); it is said that contemplation of the painting brought him to ecstasy. In the painting Elizabeth and the Virgin greet each other as if in the context of daily life in Rome.
Barocci fled Rome, claiming he had been poisoned out of jealousy, and was then maimed for life by a delicate health condition. He returned to his native Urbino in 1565 in a kind of voluntary retreat, interrupted only by contacts with his many patrons scattered throughout Italy. He came under the protection of Francesco Maria II della Rovere, duke of Urbino. The Ducal Palace can be seen in the background of his paintings, rendered in a forced perspective that seems an anticipation of future Baroque painting. Barocci was also a sensitive portraitist and immortalized the duke in a canvas now in the Uffizi. Although far from Rome, where he could exchange artistic experiences and find fame, in Urbino, by then in decline and close to being annexed to the Papal States, but animated, thanks to his scientific studies, by a remarkable cultural vivacity, Barocci was able to obtain important commissions for his altarpieces, drawing closer to the more innovative currents of the Franciscans and Capuchins. Barocci's enveloping composition and focus on the impressionable and the spiritual are elements that predate the Baroque of Rubens. But even in Federico's proto-Baroque “Blessed Michelina” one can see the preparations for a high Baroque masterpiece: Bernini's Transverberation of St. Teresa of Avila. The ecstatic expression, the animated drapery, the unity of the figure with the divine light source, the receiving hands: Barocci seems to introduce the palpable drama of the Baroque more than any other artist of his time. His brother Simone was a watchmaker and made mathematical instruments. He made four prints, all from his subjects, most likely made between 1581 and 1584.
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Federico BAROCCI (Urbino 1535 - 1612)
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Federico Barocci or Baroccio known as Fiori (Urbino, 1535? - Urbino, September 30, 1612) was a painter and engraver. His elegant style makes him considered an important exponent of Italian Mannerism and Counter-Reformation art. He is considered one of the precursors of the Baroque. Born in Urbino to a family of Lombard origins (Ambrogio Barocci or Ambrogio da Milano, a 15th-century sculptor, was his ancestor), Barocci is one of the most important painters in the (often little considered) period of art during the Counter-Reformation, which lies between Correggio and Caravaggio. His early career in Rome was fast and brilliant, inspired by Raphael, admired by a now elderly Michelangelo, and advised by Taddeo Zuccari. Barocci's adherence to the Counter-Reformation conditioned his long and fruitful career. A key figure was St. Philip Neri, whose Oratories sought to reconnect the realm of the spirit with people's daily lives. St. Philip commissioned Barocci to paint an altarpiece with the Visitation for his Chiesa Nuova (Santa Maria in Vallicella); it is said that contemplation of the painting brought him to ecstasy. In the painting Elizabeth and the Virgin greet each other as if in the context of daily life in Rome.
Barocci fled Rome, claiming he had been poisoned out of jealousy, and was then maimed for life by a delicate health condition. He returned to his native Urbino in 1565 in a kind of voluntary retreat, interrupted only by contacts with his many patrons scattered throughout Italy. He came under the protection of Francesco Maria II della Rovere, duke of Urbino. The Ducal Palace can be seen in the background of his paintings, rendered in a forced perspective that seems an anticipation of future Baroque painting. Barocci was also a sensitive portraitist and immortalized the duke in a canvas now in the Uffizi. Although far from Rome, where he could exchange artistic experiences and find fame, in Urbino, by then in decline and close to being annexed to the Papal States, but animated, thanks to his scientific studies, by a remarkable cultural vivacity, Barocci was able to obtain important commissions for his altarpieces, drawing closer to the more innovative currents of the Franciscans and Capuchins. Barocci's enveloping composition and focus on the impressionable and the spiritual are elements that predate the Baroque of Rubens. But even in Federico's proto-Baroque “Blessed Michelina” one can see the preparations for a high Baroque masterpiece: Bernini's Transverberation of St. Teresa of Avila. The ecstatic expression, the animated drapery, the unity of the figure with the divine light source, the receiving hands: Barocci seems to introduce the palpable drama of the Baroque more than any other artist of his time. His brother Simone was a watchmaker and made mathematical instruments. He made four prints, all from his subjects, most likely made between 1581 and 1584.
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