E.65 Fantuzzi, Royal Elephant
Etching by Antonio Fantuzzi, 28.8 x 42.2 L (London, 1851-2-8-163). Inscribed with a monogram in the middle of the right edge: .AT.
Fig.E.65 (London, 1851-2-8-163)
Destailleur, 1895, 281, no. 126, as Fantuzzi. Herbet, II, 1896, 278-279 (1969, 74-75), 29, as Fantuzzi after Rosso. Zerner, 1969, A.F.25 (Paris), as 1542?
COLLECTIONS: London, 1851-2-8-163 (in red ink); 1874-8-8-600 IMP. SIZE. (upper right corner missing). New York, 66.658.8. Paris, Ba 12 (damaged along left edge); Eb 14d (badly rubbed).
LITERATURE:
Mariette, Abécédario, 1858-1859, 19, as Fantuzzi after Rosso.
Kusenberg, 1931, 164.
Barocchi, 1950, 134, n. 2, Fig. 105 (Paris, Eb 14d).
Panofsky, 1958, 131, Fig. 19 (Paris, Eb 14d), 169, n. 42 (wrongly as Bartsch 29).
Zerner, 1972, 113, Fig. 164.
Béguin and Pressouyre, 1972, 136.
Zerner, in EdF, 1972, 261, 264, no. 309, 263, Fig., and in Fontainebleau, 1973, I, 98, Fig. 72, 11, 82-83, no. 309 (London, 1857-2-8-163).
Borea, 1980, 258, no. 654, p.260, Fig. (London, 1857-2-8-163).
Wilson-Chevalier, 1982, 6, 14, n. 13, as a copy of Rosso’s fresco.
K. Wilson-Chevalier, in Fontainebleau, 1985, 55-57, no. 17 (Paris, Ed 14d).
Carroll, 1987, 45, 264-267, no. 83, with Fig. (London, 1851-2-8-163).
This etching shows the same scene in the same direction as Rosso’s fresco in the Gallery of Francis I (Fig.P.22, VI N a). It is very likely that Fantuzzi based his etching on a lost drawing by Rosso known from six copies (D.54A-F). The differences between these drawings and the print are almost all in the right half of the etching. Rosso’s fresco in the gallery is slightly wider than the others and the copies of his lost drawing have proportionally the same dimensions. Fantuzzi has used a plate that is relatively somewhat shorter in its width, which apparently is the major reason for the changes that can be seen in the right half of his etching. The elephant’s body has been slightly shortened. To the right of the animal, the major figures of Hercules, Pluto, and Cerberus have been maintained but have been placed in a narrower space. The foremost column of the temple is more slender and is now in back of the elephant; the second column has been removed, as well as the two figures between the columns. Fantuzzi’s etched scene is also slightly higher at the top and lower at the bottom. At the top, some buildings have been placed above the elephant and more of the nude statue can be seen at the left. The head immediately to the right of the statue has been slightly altered. When redrawing the elephant Fantuzzi also slightly changed the design of its trappings. He also gave the animal hairy legs. One minor addition is the sandal on Jupiter’s right foot (but not on his left). In the drawings the foot is bare but decoration just below the knee indicates that the figure is wearing a boot. This is again found in the print. In Rosso’s fresco both feet of this figure have sandals that terminate just above the ankles. Most of the changes that appear in the etching can be explained as modifications necessary to accommodate the composition of Rosso’s lost drawing to a slightly different format. Other changes are minor incidental elaborations, in a sense to correct the image in the drawing. Such a correction also appears in the completion of the balusters of the terrace at the upper left.