4 - Jean Mignon (active c. 1535–1556)

Jean Mignon (active c. 1535–1556) Charity. 1544. Etching after Andrea del Sarto. [188 x 272 mm]. Zerner JM 6; Jenkins JM 6. A very fine print on thin laid paper, mounted on heavy laid paper, with the double square line clearly visible. Heavy diagonal wiping marks across the subject. Two small brownish splatters, one of which affects the lower margin. A fine vertical crack (or printing crease?) in the left margin. Narrow margins. AABM stamp (Lugt 3075). The original painting by Andrea del Sarto, an oil on canvas dated 1518 and created during the brief period when the artist was in the service of the King of France, is housed in the Louvre Museum. Although the etching faithfully reproduces the painting, Mignon omitted certain details that support the narrative, such as the vignette in the background showing a man distributing food to a small group of figures, the fire burning near the woman’s knee, and the scattered fruit in the foreground. Our print is more complete than the one held by the British Museum and does not show the diagonal scratches visible to the left of the tree and to the left of the woman’s face.