378 - Federico Barocci (Circa 1535 - Urbino - 1612), Virgin and Child in the Clouds.

Federico Barocci (Circa 1535 - Urbino - 1612), Virgin and Child in the Clouds. Etching and engraving on laid paper. (c. 1580–1584). 16.2 x 11.6 cm (sheet). Bartsch XVII.3. no.2. Provenance: Agostino Caironi (1820–1907), painter, Milan, with his collector’s stamp verso (Lugt 426); Giovanni Locarno (active 1826–40), Milan, with his collector’s stamp verso (Lugt 1691); Pacini (active circa 1860–80), art dealer, Florence, with his collector’s stamp verso (Lugt 2011). A very good, well-inked impression of the only state, printing with strong contrasts. With narrow margins of up to 4 mm around the platemark. Despite the brittle nature of the medium and his limited experience as an etcher, Barocci here achieved one of his graphic masterpieces with remarkably economical means. The deeply etched shadows, which often print as grey areas, are here richly charged with ink and print with a velvety blackness and touches of burr. Delicate stippling lends the flesh a soft, translucent quality, while subtle plate tone, particularly in the foreground, gives the composition a remarkable sense of volume and substance. The composition records part of Barocci’s now-lost large altarpiece for the Capuchin church at Monte Abato in Fossombrone, near Urbino. Rembrandt was later inspired by the tender intimacy of Barocci’s composition in his own etching 'The Virgin and Child in the Clouds' (B. 61). – With a few tiny brown spots. Two tiny tears at the lower edge, outside the image. Verso with old adhesive strips. A flattened central fold. Otherwise in good condition. Taxation: differenzbesteuert (VAT: Margin Scheme).