5110 - School of Fontainebleau

School of Fontainebleau c. 1540–50. Roman soldiers and horses. Etching. 15.6 x 10.6 cm. TIB (Anonymous Prints of the School of Fontainebleau), 79 (407). This etching by an anonymous artist of the School of Fontainebleau depicts a detail of a relief from the Sala degli Stucchi in the Palazzo Te in Mantua, which was executed by Francesco Primaticcio based on a design by Giulio Romano. Depicted is a fragment of a Roman triumphal procession, whose iconography was inspired by the reliefs on the ancient Trajan’s Column in Rome. The bold, archaic-seeming etching style of this small, evocative sheet is characteristic of the artistic language of the School of Fontainebleau. The etching is extremely rare: we have been able to identify only two copies, one at the Albertina in Vienna and the other at the British Museum in London. Excellent, rich print with a fine border around the plate edge. The reverse is slightly stained and has isolated small traces of adhesive; otherwise, it is very well preserved. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.