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Lot Essay
In his fundamental work Early Italian Engravings - A critical catalogue of 1938-48, Arthur M. Hind did not record any early, contemporary impressions of this engraving. Considering the quality and strength of the known later examples, presumably dating to the 17th century, the plate must have not been printed in many impressions at first and thus remained in good shape.
The first attribution of the plate to Giovanni Pietro da Birago dates back to Kristeller and was later tentatively accepted by Hind, who recognized da Birago as the Master of the Sforza Book of Hours, a name derived from his most important work as a miniaturist, the Book of Hours of Bona Sforza (originally in the British Museum, now British Library, inv. no. BL Add.Ms.34294). This attribution was subsequently questioned by Sheehan (1973, p. 273). Whether the print can be firmly attributed or not, the style, composition and use of the foliage within the ornamental frame strongly suggest its origin in the Milanese or Lombard School of the early 16th Century.
A.J. Levenson, K. Oberhuber, J.L. Sheehan, Early Italian Engravings, Washington, 1973, p. 273.
The first attribution of the plate to Giovanni Pietro da Birago dates back to Kristeller and was later tentatively accepted by Hind, who recognized da Birago as the Master of the Sforza Book of Hours, a name derived from his most important work as a miniaturist, the Book of Hours of Bona Sforza (originally in the British Museum, now British Library, inv. no. BL Add.Ms.34294). This attribution was subsequently questioned by Sheehan (1973, p. 273). Whether the print can be firmly attributed or not, the style, composition and use of the foliage within the ornamental frame strongly suggest its origin in the Milanese or Lombard School of the early 16th Century.
A.J. Levenson, K. Oberhuber, J.L. Sheehan, Early Italian Engravings, Washington, 1973, p. 273.