5473 - Florentine or Lombard

Florentine or Lombard c. 1490–1510. Christ with a crown of thorns and a halo, set within an ornamental frame. Copperplate engraving. 18.1 x 14.4 cm. Hind V, p. 78, 6, TIB 2411.023, p. 86. This rare print is known only from later impressions such as the one presented here. The print was attributed to Giovanni Pietro da Birago by Kristeller and later by Hind—though Hind expressed some reservations. He identified Birago with the so-called “Master of the Sforza Book of Hours.” Sheehan rejected this attribution (Early Italian Engravings, Washington 1973, p. 273), though he did not reject the origin—also assumed by M. Zucker (TIB)—in the Milanese or Lombard school of the late 15th or early 16th century. An absolutely superb print with a very fine knurled edge around the border. Slightly yellowed and stained; a fine diagonal crease from the lower left corner; otherwise in very good condition. - Please request 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.