The mask

Reference: S35443
Author Scuola di FONTAINEBLEAU
Year: 1550
Measures: 107 x 152 mm
€1,500.00

Reference: S35443
Author Scuola di FONTAINEBLEAU
Year: 1550
Measures: 107 x 152 mm
€1,500.00

Description

Engraving, 1545 – 1550 circa, unlettered.

Good example, printed on contemporary laid paper, wide margins, very good condition.

Anonimous copy probably after a drawing by Léonard Thiry.

This print belongs to a series of twelve engravings; six of which show two male busts each, and the other six, female busts. It is common to find those prints cut in two and the set described as a series of twenty four prints. The original drawings are kept in Paris, in the Ecole nationale superieure des Beaux-Arts (Mas. 1296, Rec. 19). The drawings and the prints used to be unanimously attributed to René Boyvin and Robert-Dumesnil even thought the prints were after Rosso Fiorentino.

But Yves Metman, using a 16th century document, proposed to give the prints to Pierre Milan and to set a terminus ante quem in 1559 ('Un graveur inconnu de l'Ecole de Fontainebleau: Pierre Milan', in Bibliothèque d'Humanisme et Renaissance, Notes et documents, I, 1941, pp. 202-214.).

Emmanuelle Brugerolles attributed the drawings to Léonard Thiry (Le dessin en France au XVIe siècle: dessins et miniatures des collections de l'Ecole des Beaux-Arts, 1994, p. 108). She suggests that Thiry could have used a model given by Rosso, and adapted it for the engraving.

This set is remarkable for his success; it has been reproduced and copied many times. E. A. Carroll suggested that those masks were maybe not models for costumes as most people assumed but that they could be projects for 'pictures of masks out of colored stones, probably to decorate the walls or pavement of a room [...] at Fontainebleau' (Rosso Fiorentino. Drawings, Prints, and Decorative Arts, Washington, National Gallery of Art, 1987, p. 215, footnote no. 3).

Other prints of masks may be influenced by Rosso style. These include the Costumed Male Figure with Two Torches by Boyvin (Robert- Dumesnil, 8:48, no. 77; Levron 194I, 66, no. IS, pl. xVI, fig. 21), the Twelve Pairs of Masked Figures attributed to Boyvin (Robert- Dumesnil, 8:40-53, nos. 78-89; Levron 194I 76, 21o-221) and the Six Bust-length Masked and Costumed Figures, also ascribed to Boyvin (Herbet, 3:37, nos. 33-38; Levron Io4I, 77, nos. 222-227).

Carroll suggested that the masks were maybe not models for costumes as most people assumed but that they could be projects for 'pictures of masks out of colored stones, probably to decorate the walls or pavement of a room [...] at [the Palace of] Fontainebleau'.

Literature

Rosso Fiorentino, p. 215 note 3

Scuola di FONTAINEBLEAU (circa 1530/1610)

The School of Fontainbleau (French: École de Fontainebleau) (c. 1530 – c. 1610) refers to two periods of artistic production in France during the late French Renaissance centered on the royal Palace of Fontainebleau that were crucial in forming Northern Mannerism, and represent the first major production of Italian Mannerist art in France. The "First School of Fontainebleau", much more important than the Second School at the end of the century, was based in the chateau from 1531 to 1547, after which some artists moved to Paris or elsewhere. In 1531, the Florentine artist Rosso Fiorentino, having lost most of his possessions at the Sack of Rome in 1527, was invited by François I to come to France, where he began an extensive decorative program for the Château de Fontainebleau. In 1532 he was joined by another Italian artist, Francesco Primaticcio (from Bologna). Rosso killed himself in France in 1540. On the advice of Primaticcio, Niccolò dell'Abbate (from Modena) was invited to France in 1552 by François's son Henri II. Although known for their work at Fontainebleau, these artists were also invited to create works of art for other noble families of the period and were much esteemed and well-paid. The works of this "first school of Fontainebleau" are characterized by the extensive use of stucco (moldings and picture frames) and frescos, and an elaborate (and often mysterious) system of allegories and mythological iconography. Renaissance decorative motifs such as grotesques, strapwork and putti are common, as well as a certain degree of eroticism. The figures are elegant and show the influence of the techniques of the Italian Mannerism of Michelangelo, Raphael and especially Parmigianino. Primaticcio was also directed to make copies of antique Roman statues for the king, thus spreading the influence of classical statuary. Many of the works of Rosso, Primaticcio and dell'Abate have not survived; parts of the Chateau were remodelled at various dates. The paintings of the group were reproduced in prints, mostly etchings, which were apparently produced initially at Fontainebleau itself, and later in Paris. These disseminated the style through France and beyond, and also record several paintings that have not survived. The Mannerist style of the Fontainebleau school influenced French artists (with whom the Italians worked) such as the painter Jean Cousin the Elder, the sculptors Jean Goujon and Germain Pilon, and, to a lesser degree, the painter and portraitist François Clouet the son of Jean Clouet. Although there is no certain proof, most scholars have agreed that there was a printmaking workshop at the Palace of Fontainebleau itself, reproducing the designs of the artists for their works in the palace, as well as other compositions they produced. The most productive printmakers were Léon Davent, Antonio Fantuzzi, and Jean Mignon, followed by the "mysterious" artist known from his monogram as "Master I♀V”, and the workshop seems to have been active between about 1542 and 1548 at the latest; François I died in March 1547, after which funding for the palace ended, and the school dispersed. These were the first etchings made in France, and not far behind the first Italian uses of the technique, which originated in Germany. The earliest impressions of all the Fontainebleau prints are in brown ink, and their intention seems to have been essentially reproductive. The intention of the workshop was to disseminate the new style developing at the palace more widely, both to France and to the Italians' peers back in Italy. Whether the initiative to do this came from the king or another patron, or from the artists alone, is unclear. David Landau believes that Primaticcio was the driving force; he had stepped up to become the director of the work at Fontainebleau after the suicide of Rosso Fiorentino in 1540. The enterprise seems to have been "just slightly premature" in terms of catching a market. The etched prints were often marked by signs of the workshop's inexperience and sometimes incompetence with the technique of etching, and according to Sue Welsh Reed: "Few impressions survive from these plates, and it is questionable whether many were pulled. The plates were often poorly executed and not well printed; they were often scratched or not well polished and did not wipe clean. Some may have been made of metals soft as copper, such as pewter." A broadening market for prints preferred the "highly finished textures" of Nicolas Beatrizet, and later "proficient but ultimately uninspired" engravers such as René Boyvin and Pierre Milan.

Literature

Rosso Fiorentino, p. 215 note 3

Scuola di FONTAINEBLEAU (circa 1530/1610)

The School of Fontainbleau (French: École de Fontainebleau) (c. 1530 – c. 1610) refers to two periods of artistic production in France during the late French Renaissance centered on the royal Palace of Fontainebleau that were crucial in forming Northern Mannerism, and represent the first major production of Italian Mannerist art in France. The "First School of Fontainebleau", much more important than the Second School at the end of the century, was based in the chateau from 1531 to 1547, after which some artists moved to Paris or elsewhere. In 1531, the Florentine artist Rosso Fiorentino, having lost most of his possessions at the Sack of Rome in 1527, was invited by François I to come to France, where he began an extensive decorative program for the Château de Fontainebleau. In 1532 he was joined by another Italian artist, Francesco Primaticcio (from Bologna). Rosso killed himself in France in 1540. On the advice of Primaticcio, Niccolò dell'Abbate (from Modena) was invited to France in 1552 by François's son Henri II. Although known for their work at Fontainebleau, these artists were also invited to create works of art for other noble families of the period and were much esteemed and well-paid. The works of this "first school of Fontainebleau" are characterized by the extensive use of stucco (moldings and picture frames) and frescos, and an elaborate (and often mysterious) system of allegories and mythological iconography. Renaissance decorative motifs such as grotesques, strapwork and putti are common, as well as a certain degree of eroticism. The figures are elegant and show the influence of the techniques of the Italian Mannerism of Michelangelo, Raphael and especially Parmigianino. Primaticcio was also directed to make copies of antique Roman statues for the king, thus spreading the influence of classical statuary. Many of the works of Rosso, Primaticcio and dell'Abate have not survived; parts of the Chateau were remodelled at various dates. The paintings of the group were reproduced in prints, mostly etchings, which were apparently produced initially at Fontainebleau itself, and later in Paris. These disseminated the style through France and beyond, and also record several paintings that have not survived. The Mannerist style of the Fontainebleau school influenced French artists (with whom the Italians worked) such as the painter Jean Cousin the Elder, the sculptors Jean Goujon and Germain Pilon, and, to a lesser degree, the painter and portraitist François Clouet the son of Jean Clouet. Although there is no certain proof, most scholars have agreed that there was a printmaking workshop at the Palace of Fontainebleau itself, reproducing the designs of the artists for their works in the palace, as well as other compositions they produced. The most productive printmakers were Léon Davent, Antonio Fantuzzi, and Jean Mignon, followed by the "mysterious" artist known from his monogram as "Master I♀V”, and the workshop seems to have been active between about 1542 and 1548 at the latest; François I died in March 1547, after which funding for the palace ended, and the school dispersed. These were the first etchings made in France, and not far behind the first Italian uses of the technique, which originated in Germany. The earliest impressions of all the Fontainebleau prints are in brown ink, and their intention seems to have been essentially reproductive. The intention of the workshop was to disseminate the new style developing at the palace more widely, both to France and to the Italians' peers back in Italy. Whether the initiative to do this came from the king or another patron, or from the artists alone, is unclear. David Landau believes that Primaticcio was the driving force; he had stepped up to become the director of the work at Fontainebleau after the suicide of Rosso Fiorentino in 1540. The enterprise seems to have been "just slightly premature" in terms of catching a market. The etched prints were often marked by signs of the workshop's inexperience and sometimes incompetence with the technique of etching, and according to Sue Welsh Reed: "Few impressions survive from these plates, and it is questionable whether many were pulled. The plates were often poorly executed and not well printed; they were often scratched or not well polished and did not wipe clean. Some may have been made of metals soft as copper, such as pewter." A broadening market for prints preferred the "highly finished textures" of Nicolas Beatrizet, and later "proficient but ultimately uninspired" engravers such as René Boyvin and Pierre Milan.