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拍品專文
The subject of Tityus is one of the six depicted by Michelangelo in his so-called presentation drawings, made between 1532 and 1533 on mythological themes, and gifted to Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, a young Roman nobleman and intellectual whom the artist had just met and who was to become a lifelong friend and infatuation. The drawing of Tityus (Royal Collection, Windsor, inv. no. 12771r) and the other five drawings all served as models for prints and were engraved in the 1540s.
As a punishment for his attempted rape of Latona, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, Tityus, a giant from Roman and Greek mythology, was confined to Tartarus, a dark, hellish place in Hades. There, for eternal torture, a vulture would peck his liver which grew back again every day.
An engraving in reverse to the drawing (Bartsch 39) is generally attributed to Beatrizet and published by Antonio Salamanca. The present engraving, in the same orientation as the drawing, is given to an anonymous engraver but had tentatively been attributed to Beatrizet in the past. It was published by Antonio Lafrery, whose address appears in the second state. Both Lafrery and Salamanca were successful print publishers in Rome in the mid-16th century and also collaborated for almost a decade.
The present engraving is distinguished by very pronounced wiping marks across the surface of the plate, which creates a intense atmosphere and a soft chiaroscuro effect, probably obtained through delicate rubbing of the copperplate surface with a pumice stone (Alberti, 2015, p. 128).
Another print derived from one the presentation drawings, Il Sogno (The Dream), was recently sold in these rooms (Christie’s, London, 19-28 January 2021, lot 8). Also made by an unidentified engraver and formerly attributed to Beatrizet, the engraving incorporates elements not present in Michelangelo’s drawing. In the present composition, the antique classical ruins in the background were added by the engraver and the main building recalls the temple of Minerva.
As a punishment for his attempted rape of Latona, the mother of Apollo and Artemis, Tityus, a giant from Roman and Greek mythology, was confined to Tartarus, a dark, hellish place in Hades. There, for eternal torture, a vulture would peck his liver which grew back again every day.
An engraving in reverse to the drawing (Bartsch 39) is generally attributed to Beatrizet and published by Antonio Salamanca. The present engraving, in the same orientation as the drawing, is given to an anonymous engraver but had tentatively been attributed to Beatrizet in the past. It was published by Antonio Lafrery, whose address appears in the second state. Both Lafrery and Salamanca were successful print publishers in Rome in the mid-16th century and also collaborated for almost a decade.
The present engraving is distinguished by very pronounced wiping marks across the surface of the plate, which creates a intense atmosphere and a soft chiaroscuro effect, probably obtained through delicate rubbing of the copperplate surface with a pumice stone (Alberti, 2015, p. 128).
Another print derived from one the presentation drawings, Il Sogno (The Dream), was recently sold in these rooms (Christie’s, London, 19-28 January 2021, lot 8). Also made by an unidentified engraver and formerly attributed to Beatrizet, the engraving incorporates elements not present in Michelangelo’s drawing. In the present composition, the antique classical ruins in the background were added by the engraver and the main building recalls the temple of Minerva.