E.142 Anonymous, Twins of Catania
Etching, Anonymous, possibly by Master I.♀.V.?, 32 x 43.7 L (Paris, Ba 12).
Fig.E.142 (Paris, Ba 12)
Heinecken, IV, 1790, 532, as Leon Daven after Rosso. Bartsch, XVI, 1818, 413, 93, as Anonymous, School of Fontainebleau, after Rosso. Robert-Dumesnil, VIII, 1850, 25, under no. 17. Destailleur, 1895, probably 283, no. 243, wrongly as Bartsch 83, as School of Fontainebleau, and that Geymüller gave it to Du Cerceau. Herbet, I, 1896, 83 (1969, 32), stated that Heinecken and the Destailleur catalogue gave this print to Master L.D., but Robert-Dumesnil, in a catalogue of December 1850, gave it to Fantuzzi, which is a preferable attribution. Herbet, II, 1896, 279 (1969, 75), 33, as Fantuzzi. Zerner, 1969, XLI, rejected the attribution to Fantuzzi. Acton, in French Renaissance, 1994, 307, n. 13, under no. 13, as probably by Master I.♀.V.
COLLECTIONS: Florence. London, 1850-5-27-118. Paris, Ba 12 and Ba 12 (Dow 6.251); Eb 14d (see Borea); Ed 8b Rés., Vol. II, no. 33 and no. 34 ter. Los Angeles (Ruiz). Vienna, Vol. It.II.3, p.91.
LITERATURE:
Mariette, Abécédario, 1858-1859, 22, as after Rosso and by the same etcher who did the Death of Adonis.
Zerner, 1972, 112, Fig. 161, as Fantuzzi.
Béguin and Pressouyre, 1972, 134, as Fantuzzi, but this attribution rejected by Zerner, and Fig. 198, mistakenly captioned.
Zerner, IB, 33, 1979, 368 (London).
Borea, 1980, 261, no. 662, as Anonymous.
K. Wilson-Chevalier, in Fontainebleau, 1985, 228, under no. 176.
Carroll, 1987, 259, ns. 2 and 7, under no. 80.
Davis, 1988, 204-205, no. 88, with Fig. (Los Angeles), as by Master I.♀.V.
On this print, which is in reverse of Rosso’s fresco in the Gallery of Francis I, see under P.22, V N, where it is suggested that, while it may be after that painting, the etching is so detailed that it is more likely that it is after a lost drawing by Rosso made just before the cartoon was executed.
As Zerner pointed out, the print does not look like Fantuzzi’s. Nor does it resemble Léon Davent’s prints. On the verso of an impression in Paris, Ba 12 (Fig.E.142), is a pale impression of Fantuzzi’s Death of Adonis (E.76) discovered by Françoise Jestaz, suggesting that the sheet comes from Fantuzzi’s shop. Davis thought the print was by Master I.♀.V. This seems possible1 and Acton thought it probable.
COPY, DRAWING: Paris, Louvre, Inv. 1577 (Fig.P.22Copy, Paris, 1577). Black chalk (lead?), 20.4 x 27.4. LITERATURE: Berenson, 1903, no. 2452, as Rosso. Kusenberg, 1931, 149, no. 15, as after Fantuzzi’s (here Anonymous) print. Berenson, 1938, no. 2452, as Rosso, but with reference to Kusenberg’s opinion. Barocchi, 1950, 141 and n. 3, as a pencil copy of Rosso’s fresco. Longhi, 1951 (1976, 99), as Rosso. Bologna and Causa, 1952, 60, as Rosso.
The drawing is copied from the anonymous etching where the female figure at the far right has her shoulder, arm, breast, and leg covered, as in the fresco in the gallery (but in reverse at the left) and not as in Boyvin’s engraving (Fig.E.11), where these parts of the figure are nude. The drawing seems to be by the same hand as a red chalk drawing of Iphigeneia at Aulis in the University Art Gallery at Notre Dame (see European Old Master Drawings in Indiana Collections, John Herron Art Museum, Indianapolis, 1955, no. 8, with Fig., as Italian or French, sixteenth century; and Verdier, 1967, 273, 274, Fig. 29).
COPIES, ENAMELS: Pierre Courteys, Vienna, Liechtenstein Collection, inv. no. 226. 43 x 54, inscribed in gold leaf at lower left: •P•CORTEYS•. LITERATURE: Herbet, IV, 1900, 327 (1969, 177). Kusenberg, 1933, 167, Fig. 167, 168. Béguin and Pressouyre, 1972, 134. Clare Vincent, in Liechtenstein, 1985, 220-221, no. 141, with Color Pl. Davis, 1988, 205.
As indicated by Vincent, the enamel was derived from this anonymous etching in the same direction, which shows flames in the background and the woman at the right fully clothed. This enamel was used in a set illustrating the story of the Trojan War. The children have been slightly changed and the boy carrying the dog has been placed next to the youth carrying an old man to create the group of Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius, as pointed out by Vincent.