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Lot Essay
As the 'father' of chiaroscuro woodcut printing in Italy, Ugo da Carpi was one of the most influencial Italian printmakers of the early 16th century. For over a decade, beginning his career in Venice, then moving to Rome and finally to Bologna, he worked with some of the most acclaimed artists and workshops of his time, such as Titian, Raphael and Parmigianino, thus contributing to the dissemination and development of the technique across the Italian Peninsula.
The present print, created by Ugo in Rome, is based on Marcantonio's engraving (B. 10) after Raphael's fresco in the Loggia Vaticana, depicting the David about to behead the defeated giant Goliath on the battlefield, surrounded by the Isrealite and Philistine troops, still engaged in fierce fighting.
The muted palette of the present impression may suggest that Ugo printed it slightly later, probably in Parmigianino's workshop in Bologna between 1527 and 1530. Ugo had brought his Roman woodblocks with him to Bologna, where he reprinted some impressions while creating his Diogenes and working with his pupil Antonio da Trento.
The present print, created by Ugo in Rome, is based on Marcantonio's engraving (B. 10) after Raphael's fresco in the Loggia Vaticana, depicting the David about to behead the defeated giant Goliath on the battlefield, surrounded by the Isrealite and Philistine troops, still engaged in fierce fighting.
The muted palette of the present impression may suggest that Ugo printed it slightly later, probably in Parmigianino's workshop in Bologna between 1527 and 1530. Ugo had brought his Roman woodblocks with him to Bologna, where he reprinted some impressions while creating his Diogenes and working with his pupil Antonio da Trento.