Army placed in order of battle & Counting range of enemy

Pair of etchings with engraving, finely hand colored at the time, about 1766, signed in plate at lower right. After two paintings by Francesco Simonini.

Magnificent impressions, printed on contemporary laid paper, with full margins, light abrasions on the front, small rust, otherwise in excellent condition.

Francesco Simonini (Parma 1686 - Florence after 1755) arrived in Venice around 1730 became the favorite painter of Marshal Von der Schulenburg, for thirty years commander of the ground forces of the Venetian Republic, which commissioned him to paint the most important battles the campaigns against the Turks in a series of paintings, now partly preserved in the Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum in Hanover. To document this activity of "chronicler of war" are the many drawings made by the artist during the military campaigns against the Turks in Dalmatia during the defense of Corfu.

Teodoro Viero, a student of Golinetto, came to Venice in 1755 to specialize in the art of carving, and opened a print shop that had luck. Remember him particularly twelve heads after Piazzetta, and these famous battles after Simonini.

With regard to these works, writes the Gradenigo 1749: "Teodoro Viero, copper engraver in Venice formed a work to be printed in copper twelve heads capricious immortal Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Piazzetta. He also performed the now great job of expressing four branches: the first one Army post in order of battle, the Battle formal 2, 3 Rest of the soldiers after the victory itself; 4 Examination of the range enemy, other times on boards paintings by famous deceased Francesco Simonini, all dispensed to him in the House district of S. Lion decent prices".

A question of privilege made by the Private Viero February 18, 1766, provides further details on these works. Wrote that "from 11 years living in Venice, after assiduous School celebrated Pitteri the same popular, is now in a state of produce to the public four Battles of the famous Francesco Simonini troubled by it for three years of time, of a magnitude, and an invoice is not common, and that is nothing new in the Dominant, as you can clearly see from the comparison, "so that the Senate, May 31, 1766 and granted him the privilege for four prints of Battles also recognized by the Riformatori dello Studio di Padova actually "invoice uncommon and entirely new", is reserved for the other to decide when to him it would have been presented at least one essay.

Rare and fascinating works.

Bibliografia

Rodolfo Gallo, in Ateneo Veneto, L’incisione nel ‘700 a Venezia e Bassano, pp. 184-186; G. Sestieri, I pittori di battaglie, pp. 464 -465.