259 - Ulysses Aldrovandi (1522–1605), aged 78

Ulysses Aldrovandi (1522–1605), aged 78 Description: Portrait of the celebrated Bolognese naturalist, Bologna, c. 1596. Engraving, portrait in an oval surrounded by a highly elaborate ornamental border of scrollwork, plants and animals. Lettered around the portrait: “Ulysses Aldrovandus Bononiensis anno aetatis LXXIIII” and below with the Latin distich “Non tua, Aristoteles, haec est, sed Ulyssis imago, / Dissimiles vultus, par tamen ingenium.” Signed in the plate: “Io. Corn. Wterver M D. faciebat.” State: third or fourth state, with Aldrovandi's age given as 74. A remarkable portrait of Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522–1605), the great Bolognese naturalist and one of the founders of modern natural history. The Latin inscription compares his intellect with that of Aristotle: although their appearances differ, their genius is equal.The authorship of this elaborate engraving has long been debated. The ornamental border was formerly attributed to Francesco Brizio and Giovanni Luigi Valesio. More recent scholarship has proposed Cornelio Swindt for the portrait and Cristoforo Coriolano for the richly decorated border. The inscription “Io. Corn. Wterver M.D. faciebat” refers to Joannes Cornelius Uterverius. The print is thought to have originated around 1596, when Aldrovandi was 74. In this state his age was altered from LXXIIII (74) to LXXVIII (78), and impressions were incorporated into Aldrovandi's monumental Ornithologiae hoc est de avibus Historiae libri XII, published in Bologna between 1599 and 1603. A particularly attractive and ichnographically rich Renaissance portrait, combining the likeness of one of the most important naturalists of the sixteenth century with an exceptionally elaborate naturalistic ornamental framework. Dimensions: 31,50 x 20,80 cm Condition: Good impression on thin laid paper, trimmed on the plate border, just inside at right, without visible watermark. Overall in good condition. Medium: Engraving Date: 1596