5198 - Ruina, Gaspare

Ruina, Gaspare A rowboat with a group of people on a rough sea. Woodcut. 20.7 x 14.8 cm. Antony de Witt, “Un incisore ferrarese del ‘500,” in: Bollettino d’Arte, vol. 28, 1934–1935, pp. 241–250. Biographical information about Gaspare Ruina is scarce. The architect and woodcut artist served in Ferrara under Alfonso I as head of fortifications and the pietre dure workshop, and from 1533 onward he was in the service of the Republic of Venice. In Ferrara, he built the Palazzo Postaccia. Few of his woodcuts have survived, including the large-format *Birth of Adam* after Michelangelo. This depiction of a rowboat at sea is part of a series of woodcuts—probably consisting of nine parts—that de Witt described in 1934 and attributed to Ruina’s oeuvre based on the signature found on one of the woodblocks. In front of a rocky promontory, next to which a ship with reefed sails lies on the waves, two rowers are vigorously propelling a small boat across the choppy sea. A couple sits in the center of the boat, gazing at one another; two other passengers can be seen in the bow. In the context of the other depictions in the series—examples of which are preserved in the British Museum and other collections—de Witt’s assumption that these are illustrations for a story in the vein of Ariosto’s *Orlando Furioso* seems convincing. The refined technique, particularly evident in the faces and the details of the ship and sea, reveals Ruina to be an accomplished woodcutter. Ruina’s woodcuts are all rare; only one other copy of this sheet is known to exist, in the British Museum (Inv. No. 1860,0414.166), a significantly later print from a worn, broadly striking block with a large missing section in the lower left area of the image. This sheet is presented here as an excellent early print with fine detail, showing minimal omissions in places but with a striking relief on the reverse. The border line is slightly trimmed in places. Minimal signs of age; otherwise, 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.