Modern proof printed from the original Chalcographie du Louvre plate on Japon paper.
This print is a copy of a red chalk drawing of Andrea del Sarto's wife, Lucrecia Fede. The softness, restraint and diligence of the artist's rendering are remarkable.
Alphonse Alexandre Leroy, etcher and burin engraver, was particularly keen to reproduce in facsimile drawings from the Louvre collection and private collections, published by him in albums between 1860 and 1880. The Chalcographie du Louvre owns a large number of his plates, thus fulfilling its vocation of offering a wide public the privilege of one day owning a quality replica of drawings chosen from among the greatest artists of all time, including Raphael, Correggio, Veronese and Titian... For collectors and drawing students.
Andrea del Sarto is the most outstanding representative of Florentine classicism, combining the subtlety of Leonardo da Vinci with the formal ambitions of Raphael. From an early age, he demonstrated an extraordinary talent for drawing, which he perfected by ardently copying the Renaissance masters Masaccio, Ghirlandajo, Leonardo and Michelangelo. His frescoes, in the narrative tradition of the Quattrocento, were enriched by Michelangelo's experiments in monumentality and quiet strength. His easel paintings, most of them religious scenes, show a natural ease in arranging figures against landscape backgrounds.
Andrea del Sarto's fame preceded him to France: in 1518, Francis I commissioned him to paint Charity, now in the Louvre. At a time when Italian painting was moving ever more towards exaggerated mannerism, Andrea del Sarto offered his fellow artists a simple, balanced vision in light colors.
Printed on applied Japanese paper:
Made in Asia, this paper delivers exceptional line precision and reveals the engraver's prowess. Its extreme lightness requires it to be glued to another sheet of paper. This operation, which must be carried out at the same time as printing, requires great technical mastery.
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