Imagines Farnesiani Cubiculi - 1677

Aquila Pietro/Carracci Annibale

Imagines Farnesiani Cubiculi cum ipsarum monocromatibus et ornamentis.

Rome - 1677 (not first)/1692 (not after) -
Io. Iacobus de Rubeis

13 c. of plates ill.
- 59 X 45 cm. -

THE FARNESIAN CUBICULE IMAGES ARE A SERIES OF 13 ETCHED PLATES IN AQUATINT AND BURIN.

Work by Pietro Aquila between 1670 and 1692,
depicting the frescoes by Annibale Carracci in the Farnese Gallery (Camerino Farnese) in Rome.
GOLDSCHMIDT, EP, Catalog 163, p. 25.

Each plate, splendidly in its original untrimmed state (thus without trimming) measures
59 x 45 cm.
The dimensions of the engraving, however, are different for each of the 13 plates and are listed below:
1 - 41 X 28.5 cm -
2 - 37.5 X 31.5 cm -
3 - 47 X 28 -
4 - 47 X 28 -
5 - 52 X 28 -
6 - 49 X 27 -
7 - 49 X 27 -
8 - 52 X 27 -
9 - 39 X 28 -
10 - 44 X 31 -
11 - 40 X 26.5 -
12 - 54.5 X 23 -
13 - 43 X 30 -

These splendid 13 plates, COMPLETE, including the frontispiece, published in Rome by Giovanni Giacomo de Rossi, document the palace decorations, with aquatint and burin views, depicting mythological and allegorical scenes.

These engravings proved fundamental for the diffusion of Carracci’s Baroque art in the 17th century.

Plates 2/13 all signed by Carracci and Aquila, with the printer’s name de Rossi.
Plate 2 contains the dedication
from the publisher to Cardinal César d’Estrees.
The publication, without a date of printing but datable between 1677 and 1692, is mentioned
in De Rossi’s Index of 1677.

The plates show the frescoes painted by Carracci between 1596 and 1597, for Cardinal Odoardo Farnese, on the ceiling of the Farnese Camerino in the Farnese Palace.

The plates are housed in a fine 20th-century rigid-marbled card folder,
with marbled hardcover, reinforced spine and corners, plus clasp fastenings (see last photo).

All plates are in good condition with excellent inking.
Slight central crease on the plates.
Slight humidity on plate 2
Small stain on the back of plate 3 that slightly shows through to the engraving, as well as two small tears at the lower edge, nevertheless distant from the engraving.
Very light small stain on the back of plate 6 that shows very slightly on the engraving.
Small pinpoint worm tracks along the margins that do not touch the engraving on plate 9.
Small pinpoint worm tracks along the margins affecting the lower-left corner (absolutely not bothersome) of plate 10.
Very small loss (about 1 cm) at the lower-right corner of plate 11, nonetheless distant from the engraving.
Small stain on the back of plate 12, which slightly shows through to the engraving, plus pinpoint worm tracks that do not touch the engraving.
Small marginal tear, still well away from the engraving on plate 13, along with worm tracks that barely touch the engraving.

The listed defects, albeit numerous, are of slight or very light nature and do not detract at all from the wonderful paper quality (all plates watermarked) and from the engraving.

Rare COMPLETE set and splendidly in untrimmed state.