Antonio Ligabue (1899-1965) d'apres - Cervo con cani

Antonio Ligabue (also known as Antonio Laccabue), Italian, 1899–1965.

Title, year of creation and print date of the work: Cervid with dogs, engraved matrix in 1951, printed and published in 1970.
Technique: Original etching on paper.

Edition numbered 77/99, part of the subsequent 1970 edition prepared by Grafica Editoriale Roma (total edition of 99 numbered copies from 1/99 to 99/99, following the first edition of 1961 published by Prandi).
Signature and numbering: Signed in the matrix (on the plate) upper left (“Al Ligabue”). Numbered “77/99” in pencil lower left and titled “cervo con cani” in pencil at the bottom margin.
Wove and smooth edition paper with watermark for art graphics.
Private collection, with the original publisher’s label applied to the back.

Documentation: Original Grafica Editoriale Roma guarantee and cataloging label affixed to the back of the frame, confirming the engraving data and the edition size.

Conditions: In good conservative antique condition; note a natural and pleasant browning/yellowing of the paper and of the passepartout consistent with age, which do not compromise the clarity of the engraving.

Contextual note
Cervo con cani represents one of the most intense and sought-after faunal and dramatic themes in Antonio Ligabue’s graphic work. His etchings, originally conceived in the early 1950s with a vigorous and scratching line, have been reissued in historic limited editions that today constitute a fundamental reference point for collectors of 20th-century Italian graphics.