E.91 Limosin, Nativity
Some details after Rosso?
Etching by Léonard Limosin, 25.7 x 18.8 (Zerner, Brussels), the four corners cut. Inscribed at the lower right: 1544, and on a plaque: •L•L•.
Fig.E.91 (Brussels)
Herbet, IV, 1900, 328 (1969, 178), 2. Zerner, 1969, L.L.2 (Brussels).
COLLECTION: Brussels, Bibliothèque Royale Albert Ier.
LITERATURE:
Demartial, 1912, 19, 26, Fig. 10, 27.
Kusenberg, 1931, 115, 119.
Adhémar, 1938, 2, no. 2.
Verdier, 1967, 175, indicated that there is no known enamel by Limosin related to this print. Baratte, 1993, 22, 23, Fig. 1.
Of special note in this etching is the detail of Joseph holding a candle over which he extends his right hand. Stylistically, this print gives little evidence of having been derived from a full composition by Rosso. Only because of its association with the other prints by Limosin is it possible to posit that some details are derived from a work or works by Rosso. The figure of Joseph holding a candle also appears in Jean Duvet, Nativity, which Robert-Dumesnil noted in older French painting (see R-D, V, 1841, 8, 7, and n. 1). Colin Eisler in The Master of the Unicorn. The Life and Work of Jean Duvet, New York, 1979, 224-225, mentions the relation of the candle to a mystery play. This detail suggests the French origin of Limosin’s composition. There is no known enamel of this composition.