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Lot Essay
This drawing is a study for an early print, circa 1620, commonly called l'Abcès crevé showing a young mother piercing an abcess on her infant's bottom with a needle.
Brebiette arrived in Rome in 1617 at the age of 19 and quickly turned to producing prints. Before creating the mythological images that ultimately would assure his fame, the artist made several genre prints. While their subjects seem taken directly from Northern imagery and their treatment shows a knowledge of Caravaggism, the technique, handling and style of their preparatory drawings owe much to the Carracci and most of all to the Cavaliere d'Arpino.
Brebiette arrived in Rome in 1617 at the age of 19 and quickly turned to producing prints. Before creating the mythological images that ultimately would assure his fame, the artist made several genre prints. While their subjects seem taken directly from Northern imagery and their treatment shows a knowledge of Caravaggism, the technique, handling and style of their preparatory drawings owe much to the Carracci and most of all to the Cavaliere d'Arpino.