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

Federico Barocci (c. 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 on the reverse (Lugt 426); Giovanni Locarno (active 1826–40), Milan, with his collector’s stamp on the reverse (Lugt 1691); Pacini (active circa 1860–80), art dealer, Florence, with his collector’s stamp on the reverse (Lugt 2011). A very good, well-inked impression of the only state, printed 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 achieved one of his graphic masterpieces here with remarkably economical means. The deeply etched shadows, which often appear as gray areas, are here richly saturated with ink and render a velvety blackness with hints 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 depicts 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. The reverse side has old adhesive strips. A flattened central fold. Otherwise in good condition. Taxation: subject to differential taxation (VAT: Margin Scheme).