Simone Cantarini (1612-1648), da - Sacra Famiglia con San Giovannino

AUTHOR (from)

Simone Cantarini, known as the “Pesarese” (1612-1648), trained in the Marche and then arrived in Bologna in Guido Reni’s workshop. Although he absorbed the master’s classicism, he developed a completely autonomous poetics, substituting the icy perfection for a more intimate, domestic naturalism imbued with a tender melancholy, which made his subjects deeply human.

The absolute pinnacle of his art resides, however, in engraving, an area in which he established himself as one of the greatest and most innovative etchers of the European Seicento. His graphic technique abandoned the rigid formalism of the era to embrace a fluid, nervous, and extraordinarily free line. With a sparse and vibrant hatching, Cantarini could make light shimmer on the white sheet, conveying the immediacy and freshness of a freely drawn sketch with an elegance and economy of means that are unsurpassed.

The genius of his plates and his paintings makes him today a protagonist of the world’s most prestigious art collections. His works and his highly sought-after engraved sheets are kept in institutions such as the Louvre, the Prado, the Metropolitan, the Uffizi, the Albertina in Vienna, and the British Museum, in addition to being jealously safeguarded within the most exclusive private international collections.

DESCRIPTION

"Sacra Famiglia con San Giovannino" (Holy Family with the Little Saint John), etching on rag paper, 15.8x21.2 cm, trimmed at the line, specimen in counterplate. Restoration work to the upper right corner, intended to fill a small gap in the paper. The engraving is presented with a mount, to which it is attached at the upper edge with two strips of tape for prints (easily removable). Several pencil notes with the title, author, and catalog notes accompany the object.

This refined etching returns to us a moment of deep, silent domestic intimacy. The central scene features the Virgin Mary, captured in an attitude of loving care as she interacts with the Child. The little Saint John approaches, sharing in a delicate weave of looks and gestures with Jesus, while the figure of Saint Joseph frames the meeting, completing the sacred nuclear family with a calm presence. The composition is expertly balanced, in perfect accord between solemn classical grace and immediate naturalness. Technically, the sheet reveals the artist’s genius: the engraving line abandons the rigid formalism of the era to flow across the plate in a fluid, nervous, and extraordinarily free manner. Through a sparse and vibrant hatching, the artist manages to make the light vibrate by skillfully using the white of the paper, thus restoring the freshness of a freely drawn sketch, resolved with an unmatched formal elegance and economy of means.

This precious print represents a complete synthesis of Simone Cantarini’s style and poetics, known as the “Pesarese” (1612-1648). Initially trained in the Marche and then moving to Bologna in Guido Reni’s workshop, the artist assimilated the master’s vocabulary and then reworked it into a completely autonomous vision. As evident in this work, Cantarini replaces the icy and distant perfection of Renese with a much more intimate and domestic naturalism, imbued with the tender melancholy that makes his subjects deeply human and close to the observer. It is precisely in the etching, however, that the Pesarese reaches the absolute apex of his expression, establishing himself as one of the greatest and most innovative engravers of the European Seicento.

CONDITION REPORT

Discussing the general state of conservation. The hatchwork is clearly legible, the impression fresh. Notable: functional restoration at the upper right corner and small signs of foxing scattered.

Tracked and insured shipping with appropriate packaging.