Giorgio Ghisi (1520 — 15 December 1582) - Allegory of Nativity

Description:
Allegory of birth, a woman in the bed at the right has just given birth, the infant is passed to two putti at the left, in the background Aurora arrives in her horse drawn carriage. Etching after G. ROMANO,

Dimensions:
28,20 x 42,60 cm

Literature:
Lewis&Lewis 26-4(5) Bartsch 57 Bellini (Ghisi) 38 The Illustrated Bartsch 57-2(2) . This print is based on a drawing made by Guilio Romano for a fresco in the Palazzo del T in Mantua. It shows one of the seven scenes in the Loggia del grotto, painted around 1531. It shows the powerful masterly evident of maturity Ghise reached in the 1560's. The scen shows, at the right, a woman who has just givne birth. Two female attendants minister to her from the far side of the bed., the older woman haolding her wrists. The mother seems to be deing or death. In te center, a woman wearing a tower-shaped crown hands the newborn to two genii. At the left, a woman holding two torches, signifying life, appears to be fueling the one in her right hand by blowing on it, perhaps having just lit it from the other. The other torch may represent the life of the mother. Bartsch, following Mariette, calls this figure a faite, although fates are usually shown spinning.

Medium:
Engraving

Circa:
1568

Notes:
All measurements are taken on the plate mark. All lot's are listed with several high resolution images, which is the best way to give a clear and objective idea of the general very good condition. Textual condition description is limited, so please examine the images carefully and ask for more info if needed.

Condition:
Good impression with full plate borders and small margins on bunch of grapes watermarked paper. The impression has good plate tone and is equally printed. Some stains and cracks have been treated and closed. Some paper loss filled in at top left corner.