works were prized, Albrecht executed some copper-plates that astonished
the world. He also set himself to make an engraving, for printing on a
sheet of half-folio, of a figure of Melancholy, with all the instruments
that reduce those who use them, or rather, all mankind, to a melancholy
humour; and in this he succeeded so well, that it would not be possible
to do more delicate engraving with the burin. He executed three small
plates of Our Lady, all different one from another, and most subtle in
engraving. But it would take too long if I were to try to enumerate all
the works that issued from Albrecht's hand; let it be enough for the
present to tell that, having drawn a Passion of Christ in thirty-six
parts, and having engraved these, he made an agreement with Marc'
Antonio Bolognese that they should publish the sheets in company; and
thus, arriving in Venice, this work was the reason that marvellous
prints of the same kind were afterwards executed in Italy, as will be
related below.
While Francesco Francia was working at his painting in Bologna, there
was among his many disciples a young man called Marc' Antonio, who,
being more gifted than the others, was much brought forward by him, and,
from having been many years with Francia and greatly beloved by him,
acquired the surname of De' Franci. This Marc' Antonio, who was more
able in design than his master, handled the burin with facility and
grace, and executed in niello girdles and many other things much in
favour at that time, which were very beautiful, for the reason that he
was indeed most excellent in that profession. Having then been seized,
as happens to many, with a desire to go about the world and see new
things and the methods of other craftsmen, with the gracious leave of
Francia he went off to Venice, where he was well received by the
craftsmen of that city. About the same time there arrived in Venice some
Flemings with many copper-plate engravings and woodcuts by Albrecht
Dürer, which were seen by Marc' Antonio on the Piazza di S. Marco; and
he was so amazed at the manner and method of the work of Albrecht, that
he spent on those sheets almost all the money that he had brought from
Bologna. Among other things, he bought the Passion of Jesus Christ,
which had been engraved on thirty-six wood-blocks and printed not long
before on sheets of quarter-folio by the same Albrecht. This work began
with the Sin of Adam and the scene of the Angel expelling him from
Paradise, and continued down to the Descent of the Holy Spirit.
Marc' Antonio, having considered what honour and profit might be
acquired by one who should apply himself to that art in Italy, formed
the determination to give his attention to it with all possible
assiduity and diligence. He thus began to copy those engravings by
Albrecht Dürer, studying the manner of each stroke and every other
detail of the prints that he had bought, which were held in such
estimation on account of their novelty and their beauty, that everyone
sought to have some. Having then counterfeited on copper, with engraving
as strong as that of the woodcuts that Albrecht had executed, the whole
of the said Life and Passion of Christ in thirty-six parts, he added to
these the signature that Albrecht used for all his works, which was
"A.D.," and they proved to be so similar in manner, that, no one knowing
that they had been executed by Marc' Antonio, they were ascribed to
Albrecht, and were bought and sold as works by his hand. News of this
was sent in writing to Albrecht, who was in Flanders, together with one
of the counterfeit Passions executed by Marc' Antonio; at which he flew
into such a rage that he left Flanders and went to Venice, where he
appeared before the Signoria and laid a complaint against Marc' Antonio.
But he could obtain no other satisfaction but this, that Marc' Antonio
should no longer use the name or the above-mentioned signature of
Albrecht on his works.
[Illustration: S. JEROME IN HIS STUDY
(_After the engraving by =Albrecht Dürer=. London: British Museum, B.
60_)
_M.S._]
After this affair, Marc' Antonio went off to Rome, where he gave his
whole attention to design; and Albrecht returned to Flanders, where he
found that another rival had already begun to execute many most delicate
engravings in competition with him. This was Lucas of Holland,[14]
who, although he was not as fine a master of design as Albrecht, was yet
in many respects his equal with the burin. Among the many large and
beautiful works that Lucas executed, the first were two in 1509, round
in shape, in one of which is Christ bearing the Cross, and in the other
His Crucifixion. Afterwards he published a Samson, a David on horseback,
and a S. Peter Martyr, with his tormentors; and then he made a
copper-plate engraving of Saul seated with the young David playing in
his presence. And not long after, having made a great advance, he
executed a very large plate with the most delicate engraving, of Virgil
suspended from the window in the basket, with some heads and figures so
marvellous, that they were the reason that Albrecht, growing more subtle
in power through this competition, produced some printed sheets of such
excellence, that nothing better could be done. In these, wishing to
display his ability, Albrecht made an armed man on horseback,
representing Human Strength, which is so well finished, that one can see
the lustre of the arms and of the black horse's coat, which is a
difficult thing to reproduce in design. This stalwart horseman had
Death, hour-glass in hand, beside him, and the Devil behind. There was
also a long-haired dog, executed with the most subtle delicacy that can
possibly be achieved in engraving. In the year 1512 there issued from
the hand of the same master sixteen little scenes of the Passion of
Jesus Christ, engraved so well on copper, that there are no little
figures to be seen that are more beautiful, sweet, and graceful, nor any
that are stronger in relief.
Spurred likewise by rivalry, the same Lucas of Holland executed twelve
similar plates, very beautiful, and yet not so perfect in engraving and
design; and, in addition to these, a S. George who is comforting the
Maiden, who is weeping because she is destined to be devoured by the
Dragon; and also a Solomon, who is worshipping idols; the Baptism of
Christ; Pyramus and Thisbe; and Ahasuerus with Queen Esther kneeling
before him. Albrecht, on his part, not wishing to be surpassed by Lucas
either in the number or in the excellence of his works, engraved a nude
figure on some clouds, and a Temperance with marvellous wings, holding
a cup of gold and a bridle, with a most delicate little landscape; and
then a S. Eustachio kneeling before the stag, which has the Crucifix
between its horns, a sheet which is amazing, and particularly for the
beauty of some dogs in various attitudes, which could not be more
perfect. Among the many children of various kinds that he made for the
decoration of arms and devices, he engraved some who are holding a
shield, wherein is a Death with a cock for crest, the feathers of which
are rendered in such detail, that it would be impossible to execute
anything more delicate with the burin.
Finally, he published the sheet with S. Jerome in the habit of a
Cardinal, writing, with the Lion sleeping at his feet. In this work
Albrecht represented a room with windows of glass, through which stream
the rays of the sun, falling on the place where the Saint sits writing,
with an effect so natural, that it is a marvel; besides which, there are
books, timepieces, writings, and so many other things, that nothing more
and nothing better could be done in this field of art. Not long
afterwards, in the year 1523, he executed a Christ with the twelve
Apostles, in little figures, which was almost the last of his works.
There may also be seen prints of many heads taken from life by him, such
as that of Erasmus of Rotterdam, that of Cardinal Albrecht of
Brandenburg, Elector of the Empire, and also his own. Nor, with all the
engravings that he produced, did he ever abandon painting; nay, he was
always executing panels, canvases, and other paintings, all excellent,
and, what is more, he left many writings on matters connected with
engraving, painting, perspective, and architecture.
[Illustration: THE _ECCE HOMO_ OF 1610
(_After the engraving by =Lucas van Leyden=. London: British Museum_)
_M.S._]
But to return to the subject of engraving: the works of Albrecht Dürer
induced Lucas of Holland to follow in his steps to the best of his
power. After the works already mentioned, Lucas engraved on copper four
scenes from the life of Joseph, and also the four Evangelists, the three
Angels who appeared to Abraham in the Valley of Mamre, Susannah in the
Bath, David praying, Mordecai riding in Triumph on Horseback, Lot made
drunk by his Daughters, the Creation of Adam and Eve, God commanding
them that they shall not eat of the Fruit from the Tree that He points
out to them, and Cain killing his brother Abel; all which sheets were
published in the year 1529. But that which did more than anything else
to bring renown and fame to Lucas, was a large sheet in which he
represented the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ; with another wherein Pilate
is showing Him to the people, saying, "Ecce Homo!" These sheets, which
are large, and contain a great number of figures, are held to be
excellent; as are, likewise, one with a Conversion of S. Paul, and
another showing him being led, blind, into Damascus. And let these works
suffice to prove that Lucas may be numbered among those who have handled
the burin with ability.
The scenes of Lucas are very happy in composition, being executed with
such clearness and so free from confusion, that it seems certain that
the action represented could not have taken place in any other way; and
they are arranged more in accordance with the rules of art than those of
Albrecht. Besides this, it is evident that he used a wise discretion in
the engraving of his works, for the reason that all those parts which
recede little by little into the distance are less strongly defined in
proportion as they are lost to view, even as natural objects become less
clear to the eye when seen from afar. Indeed, he executed them with such
thoughtful care, and made them so soft and well blended, that they would
not be better in colour; and his judicious methods have opened the eyes
of many painters. The same master engraved many little plates: various
figures of Our Lady, the twelve Apostles with Christ, many Saints, both
male and female; arms and helmet-crests, and other suchlike things. Very
beautiful is a peasant who is having a tooth drawn, and is feeling such
pain, that he does not notice that meanwhile a woman is robbing his
purse. All these works of Albrecht and Lucas have brought it about that
many other Flemings and Germans after them have printed similar sheets
of great beauty.
But returning to Marc' Antonio: having arrived in Rome, he engraved on
copper a most lovely drawing by Raffaello da Urbino, wherein was the
Roman Lucretia killing herself, which he executed with such diligence
and in so beautiful a manner, that Raffaello, to whom it was straightway
carried by some friends, began to think of publishing in engravings some
designs of works by his hand, and then a drawing that he had formerly
made of the Judgment of Paris, wherein, to please himself, he had drawn
the Chariot of the Sun, the nymphs of the woods, those of the fountains,
and those of the rivers, with vases, the helms of ships, and other
beautiful things of fancy all around; and when he had made up his mind,
these were engraved by Marc' Antonio in such a manner as amazed all
Rome. After them was engraved the drawing of the Massacre of the
Innocents, with most beautiful nudes, women and children, which was a
rare work; and then the Neptune, with little stories of Æneas around it,
the beautiful Rape of Helen, also after a drawing by Raffaello, and
another design in which may be seen the death of S. Felicita, who is
being boiled in oil, while her sons are beheaded. These works acquired
such fame for Marc' Antonio, that his engravings were held in much
higher estimation, on account of their good design, than those of the
Flemings; and the merchants made very large profits out of them.
Raffaello had kept an assistant called Baviera for many years to grind
his colours; and since this Baviera had a certain ability, Raffaello
ordained that he should attend to the printing of the engravings
executed by Marc' Antonio, to the end that all his compositions might
thus be finished, and then sold in gross and in detail to all who
desired them. And so, having set to work, they printed a vast number,
which brought very great profit to Raffaello; and all the plates were
signed by Marc' Antonio with the following signatures, "R.S." for the
name of Raffaello Sanzio of Urbino, and "M.F." for that of Marc'
Antonio. Among these works were a Venus embraced by Love, after a
drawing by Raffaello, and a scene in which God the Father is blessing
the seed of Abraham, with the handmaiden and two children. Next were
engraved all the round pictures that Raffaello had painted in the
apartments of the Papal Palace, such as the Universal Knowledge,
Calliope with the musical instrument in her hand, Foresight, and
Justice; and then, after a small drawing, the scene which Raffaello had
painted in the same apartment, of Mount Parnassus, with Apollo, the
Muses, and the Poets; and also that of Æneas carrying Anchises on his
back while Troy is burning, of which Raffaello had made the drawing in
order to paint a little picture. After this they engraved and printed
another work of Raffaello, Galatea in a car drawn over the sea by
Dolphins, with some Tritons who are carrying off a Nymph.
These works finished, Marc' Antonio engraved many separate figures,
likewise on copper, and after drawings by Raffaello; an Apollo with a
lyre in his hand; a figure of Peace, to whom Love is offering an
olive-branch; the three Theological and the four Moral Virtues, and a
Jesus Christ with the twelve Apostles, of the same size; a half-folio
plate of the Madonna that Raffaello had painted in the altar-piece of
the Araceli, and likewise one of that which went to S. Domenico in
Naples, with Our Lady, S. Jerome, the Angel Raphael, and Tobias; and a
little plate of Our Lady seated on a chair and embracing the Infant
Christ, who is half clothed, with many other figures of the Madonna
copied from the pictures which Raffaello had painted for various
persons. After these he engraved a young S. John the Baptist, seated in
the desert, and then the picture which Raffaello executed for S.
Giovanni in Monte, of S. Cecilia with other Saints, which was held to be
a most beautiful sheet. When Raffaello had finished all the cartoons of
the tapestries for the Papal Chapel, which were afterwards woven in silk
and gold, with stories of S. Paul, S. Peter, and S. Stephen, Marc'
Antonio engraved the Preaching of S. Paul, the Stoning of S. Stephen,
and the Blind Man receiving his Sight; which plates, what with the
invention of Raffaello, the grace of the design, and the diligent
engraving of Marc' Antonio, were so beautiful, that there was nothing
better to be seen. He then engraved, after the invention of the same
Raffaello, a most beautiful Deposition from the Cross, with a Madonna in
a swoon, who is marvellous; and not long afterwards a plate, which is
very beautiful, of that picture by Raffaello which went to Palermo, of a
Christ who is bearing the Cross, and also one of a drawing that
Raffaello had executed of a Christ in the air, with Our Lady, S. John
the Baptist, and S. Catharine kneeling on the ground, and S. Paul the
Apostle standing, which was a large and very lovely engraving. This and
the others, after becoming spoiled and almost worn out through being too
much used, were carried away by Germans and others in the sack of Rome.
The same Marc' Antonio engraved the portrait of Pope Clement VII in
profile, with the face shaved, in the form of a medallion; one of the
Emperor Charles V at the time when he was a young man, and another of
him at a riper age; and also one of Ferdinand, King of the Romans, who
afterwards succeeded Charles V as Emperor. He also made in Rome a
portrait from life of Messer Pietro Aretino, a very famous poet, which
was the most beautiful that Marc' Antonio ever executed; and, not long
afterwards, portraits of the twelve ancient Emperors in medallions. Of
these sheets Raffaello sent some into Flanders to Albrecht Dürer, who
praised Marc' Antonio highly, and sent in return to Raffaello, in
addition to many other sheets, his own portrait, which was held to be a
miracle of beauty.
Now, the fame of Marc' Antonio having grown very great, and the art of
engraving having come into credit and repute, many disciples had placed
themselves under him in order to learn it. And of their number, two who
made great proficience were Marco da Ravenna, who signed his plates with
the signature of Raffaello, "R.S.," and Agostino Viniziano, who signed
his works in the following manner: "A.V." These two engraved and printed
many designs by Raffaello, such as one of Our Lady with Christ lying
dead at full length, and at His feet S. John, the Magdalene, Nicodemus,
and the other Maries; and they engraved another plate of greater size,
in which is a Madonna, with the arms outstretched and the eyes raised
towards Heaven, in an attitude of supreme pity and sorrow, with Christ,
in like manner, lying dead at full length.
Agostino afterwards engraved a large plate of the Nativity, with the
Shepherds and Angels about the hut, and God the Father above; and he
executed many vases, both ancient and modern, and also a censer, or
rather, two women with a vase perforated at the top. He engraved a plate
with a man transformed into a wolf, who is stealing towards a bed in
order to kill one who is sleeping in it. And he also executed one of
Alexander with Roxana, to whom that Prince is presenting a royal crown,
while some Loves are hovering about her and adorning her head, and
others are playing with the arms of Alexander.
[Illustration: THE DEATH OF LUCRETIA
(_After the engraving by =Marcantonio Bolognese=. London: British
Museum, B. 192_)
_M.S._]
The same masters together engraved the Last Supper of Christ with the
twelve Apostles, on a plate of some size, and an Annunciation, all after
the designs of Raffaello; and then two stories of the Marriage of
Psyche, which had been painted by Raffaello not long before. In the end,
Agostino and the above-mentioned Marco between them engraved almost all
the works that Raffaello ever drew or painted, and made prints of them;
and also many of the pictures painted by Giulio Romano, after copies
drawn for that purpose. And to the end that there might remain scarcely
a single work of Raffaello that had not been engraved by them, they
finally made engravings of the scenes that Giulio had painted in the
Loggie after the designs of Raffaello.
There may still be seen some of the first plates, with the signature
"M.R." for Marco Ravignano, and others with the signature "A.V." for
Agostino Viniziano, re-engraved by others after them, such as the
Creation of the World, and God forming the Animals; the Sacrifices of
Cain and Abel, and the Death of Abel; Abraham sacrificing Isaac; Noah's
Ark, the Deluge, and the Animals afterwards issuing from the Ark; the
Passage of the Red Sea; the Delivery of the Laws from Mount Sinai
through Moses, and the Manna; David slaying Goliath, already engraved by
Marc' Antonio; Solomon building the Temple; the Judgment of the same
Solomon between the two women, and the Visit of the Queen of Sheba; and,
from the New Testament, the Nativity and the Resurrection of Christ, and
the Descent of the Holy Spirit. All these were engraved and printed
during the lifetime of Raffaello.
After the death of Raffaello, Marco and Agostino separated, and Agostino
was retained by Baccio Bandinelli, the Florentine sculptor, who caused
him to engrave after his design an anatomical figure that he had formed
out of lean bodies and dead men's bones; and then a Cleopatra. Both
these were held to be very good plates. Whereupon, growing in courage,
Baccio drew, and caused Agostino to engrave, a large plate--one of the
largest, indeed, that had ever been engraved up to that time--full of
women clothed, and of naked men who are slaughtering the little
innocents by command of King Herod.
Marc' Antonio, meanwhile, continuing to work at engraving, executed some
plates with small figures of the twelve Apostles, in various manners,
and many Saints, both male and female, to the end that the poor painters
who were weak in design might be able to avail themselves of these in
their need. He also engraved a nude young man, who has a lion at his
feet, and is seeking to furl a large banner, which is swollen out by the
wind in a direction contrary to his purpose; another who is carrying a
pedestal on his back; and a little S. Jerome who is meditating on death,
placing a finger in the hollow of a skull that he has in his hand, the
invention and design of which were by Raffaello. Then he executed a
figure of Justice, which he copied from the tapestries of the Chapel;
and afterwards an Aurora, drawn by two horses, on which the Hours are
placing bridles. He also copied the Three Graces from the antique; and
he engraved a scene of Our Lady ascending the steps of the Temple.
After these things, Giulio Romano, who in his modesty would never have
any of his works engraved during the lifetime of his master Raffaello,
lest he should seem to wish to compete with him, caused Marc' Antonio,
after the death of Raffaello, to engrave two most beautiful battles of
horsemen on plates of some size, and all the stories of Venus, Apollo,
and Hyacinthus, which he had painted in the bathroom that is at the
villa of Messer Baldassarre Turini da Pescia. And he did the same with
the four stories of the Magdalene and the four Evangelists that are in
the vaulting of the chapel of the Trinità, which were executed for a
courtezan, although the chapel now belongs to Messer Agnolo Massimi. By
the same master was drawn and reproduced in engraving a very beautiful
ancient sarcophagus containing a lion-hunt, which was formerly at
Maiano, and is now in the court of S. Pietro; as well as one of the
ancient scenes in marble that are under the Arch of Constantine; and,
finally, many scenes that Raffaello had designed for the corridor and
Loggie of the Palace, which have since been engraved once more by
Tommaso Barlacchi, together with those of the tapestries that Raffaello
executed for the public Consistory.
[Illustration: THE MARTYRDOM OF S. LAWRENCE
(_Engraved after Bandinelli by =Marcantonio Bolognese=. London: British
Museum_)
_M.S._]
After this, Giulio Romano caused Marc' Antonio to engrave twenty plates
showing all the various ways, attitudes, and positions in which
licentious men have intercourse with women; and, what was worse, for
each plate Messer Pietro Aretino wrote a most indecent sonnet, insomuch
that I know not which was the greater, the offence to the eye from
the drawings of Giulio, or the outrage to the ear from the words of
Aretino. This work was much censured by Pope Clement; and if, when it
was published, Giulio had not already left for Mantua, he would have
been sharply punished for it by the anger of the Pope. And since some of
these sheets were found in places where they were least expected, not
only were they prohibited, but Marc' Antonio was taken and thrown into
prison; and he would have fared very badly if Cardinal de' Medici and
Baccio Bandinelli, who was then at Rome in the service of the Pope, had
not obtained his release. Of a truth, the gifts of God should not be
employed, as they very often are, in things wholly abominable, which are
an outrage to the world.