5226 - Zenoi, Domenico

Zenoi, Domenico The Madonna della Steccata. Copperplate engraving. 26.1 x 18.9 cm. Not listed in Nagler; Le Blanc 13. Mark: an anchor (?) within a circle with a clover. The Madonna della Steccata depicted here is a Marian icon located in Parma in the Church of S. Maria della Steccata. According to tradition, in 1392 an image of John the Baptist appeared on the wall of a house at the site of the present-day church; an oratory was built there to honor and pay homage to him. Later, the image of the nursing Madonna is said to have miraculously appeared once again, this time on a wall of this oratory. To protect the image of the Virgin Mary from the growing crowds of pilgrims, a fence (steccato) was erected around it, giving its name to both the icon and the church, whose construction began in 1521. The artist who created the icon is unknown. The figures, painted by a 14th-century artist, have been stylistically associated with the Bolognese school, while the angels and ornamentation added in the 15th century are linked to the Ferrarese tradition. Zenoi, however, created a work entirely of his own in the High Renaissance style, based on the painting or following a graphic model. The figures are more three-dimensional; in place of the angels in the painting, he inserted framing pilasters and vases of flowers, and at the top, a frieze with garlands of fruit and a scene of the Annunciation. This copperplate engraving is extremely rare, and only a few prints have survived. An excellent print with the border line. Minimal signs of age; otherwise, in impeccable condition. - 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.