329 - P. THOMASSIN (*1562), Statue of Silenus, ca. 1610, copper engraving

P. THOMASSIN (*1562), Statue of Silenus, ca. 1610, copper engraving Philippe Thomassin (1562 Troyes – 1622 Rome): Statue of Silenus, Silen, plate 44, c. 1610, copper engraving Technique: Copper engraving on laid paper Watermark: indeterminate signs: Undeterminable watermark | Date: Date: c. 1610 Description: Based on an ancient statue, set within a conch shell. Depiction of Silenus, who was Dionysus’s teacher and companion during his processions. One of the Orphic Hymns is addressed to him. Inscribed below the depiction on the printing plate: “Silenus aeneum iacentis ueteri uasi.” From: *Antiquarum statuarum urbis Romae liber primus*, P. Thomassin, 1610. Following the publication of Giovanni Battista de Cavalieri’s engraving collection *Antiquarum Statuarum Urbis Romae Tertius et Quartus Liber* (1594), this is considered the first work featuring independent engravings based on ancient statues—drawn and engraved by Philippe Thomassin himself. The French engraver was Jacques Callot’s first teacher; he created over 430 engravings, including many based on paintings by Italian masters such as Michelangelo. In total, he illustrated 50 ancient statues, all of which were placed in conches. Twenty-three of these are from the Borghese Collection, five from the Capitoline Collection, four each from the Medici Collection and the Farnese Collection, three from Rome (the Apostolic Palace, the Belvedere Courtyard, and the Statue Court), and one from the Cesarini Collection. The others have no indication of location. Dating: 1610 is considered the terminus post quem due to the existence of a statue from the Borghese Collection that came from the estate of Guglielmo della Porta (sold to Giovanni Battista Borghese in 1609); terminus ante quem: 1622. From the estate of the antiquarian Rosenthal, Munich/Amsterdam. | Watermark: Lily Keywords: 17th century, Figurative, Portraits, Italy, Size: Laid paper: 21.8 cm x 18.5 cm (8.6 x 7.3 in), Image: 8.0 cm x 12.4 cm (3.1 x 4.9 in) Condition: Good condition. The image is in very good condition. The sheet is slightly foxed due to its age and has slight creases in the paper along the wide margins.