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60 NICOLAS BEATRIZET
The River God Nile
.
Engraving, circa 1545. 330x554 mm; 13x21
3
/
4
inches. Circular watermark. Trimmed on
or just inside the plate mark. A very good impression of this extremely scarce engraving,
with strong contrasts.
We have found only 3 other impressions at auction in the past 30 years; there is a similar
impression in the National Gallery of Art,Washington, D.C. (Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund,
2006.34.1).
Beatrizet (1515-circa 1565) based this engraving on a Roman free-standing sculpture now
in the Museo Pio-Clementino, MuseiVaticani,Vatican City.The god of the Nile is shown
reclining in the waters of his river, resting his arm on the back of the Sphinx, beside a
cornucopia brimming with fruit. He is covered with infant-like African Pygmies (the
missing heads of some have been restored in the statue as it is seen today).
Bartsch 95.
[3,000/5,000]
61
●
GIORGIO GHISI
Venus and Adonis
.
Engraving, circa 1570. 320x225 mm; 12
3
/
4
x9 inches, small margins. Fourth state (of 7),
with the address of van Aelst, Rome. Ex-collection unidentified collector (Lugt 2732,
verso). A superb, well-inked impression with strong contrasts. Bartsch 42; Lewis 42.
[2,000/3,000]
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