Cartaro etching & engraving after Titian

MARIO CARTARO   

born Viterbo 1540/5, active presumably Venice/Padua early 1560s, Rome 1557-1586/8, and Naples from 1588

Evening Landscape with a Sleeping Traveler.

Etching and engraving after Titian; c.1564-66.  Published by Luca Bertelli, with his address lower left underneath the border.  A brilliant impression, printed with tone; with large, apparently full, margins. In fine condition; a vertical centerfold or drying crease in the paper visible chiefly verso. Extremely rare, especially in the very high quality of the sheet, so well preserved; the impression at the Rijksprentenkabinet is trimmed to the borderline, thus not showing the address of Bertelli and is after damages to the plate in the sky at the upper center, and slightly dryly printed in the sky. There is an impression in the Albertina trimmed to the border of the image, thus losing the band of white space around the image which so dramatizes the tonal quality of the printing.

Cartaro was active in Venice, Rome and Naples. His work in Rome is chiefly in engraving. This sheet, chiefly etched rather than engraved, reflects the atmospheric quality of Venetian painting of the third quarter of the 16^th century. It is noteworthy that Cartaro so skillfully adapted his technique to the needs of Titian’s design. Bertelli, the publisher, was active in Padua and Venice, and published prints by major Italian artists from 1565.

227 x 335 mm    8 15/16 x 13 9/16 inches

Sheet: 400 x 530 mm    15 ¾ x 20 7/8 inches