Lives of the most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 06 (of 10): Fra Giocondo to Niccolo SoggiVasari, Giorgio
History
Lives of the most Eminent Painters Sculptors and Architects, Vol. 06 (of 10): Fra Giocondo to Niccolo Soggi
Vasari, Giorgio
Art, Italian; Artists -- Italy -- Biography
Baviera having then caused Rosso to draw twenty Gods in niches, with
their attributes, for a book, these were engraved by Gian Jacopo
Caraglio in a very beautiful and graceful manner; and also, not long
afterwards, their Transformations; but of these Rosso did not make the
drawings, save only of two, for he had a difference with Baviera, and
Baviera had ten of them executed by Perino del Vaga. The two by Rosso
were the Rape of Proserpine and the Transformation of Philyra into a
horse; and all were engraved with such diligence by Caraglio, that they
have always been prized. Caraglio afterwards began for Rosso the Rape of
the Sabines, which would have been a very rare work, but, the sack of
Rome supervening, it could not be finished, for Rosso went away, and the
plates were all lost. And although this work has since come into the
hands of the printers, it has proved a miserable failure, for the
engraving has been done by one who had no knowledge of the art, and
thought only of making money.
After this, Caraglio engraved for Francesco Parmigiano a plate of the
Marriage of Our Lady, and other works by the same master; and then
another plate for Tiziano Vecelli, which was very beautiful, of a
Nativity that Tiziano had formerly painted. This Gian Jacopo Caraglio,
after having executed many copper-plates, being an ingenious spirit,
gave his attention to engraving cameos and crystals, in which he became
no less excellent than he had been in the engraving of copper-plates.
And since then, having entered the service of the King of Poland, he has
occupied himself no longer with engraving on copper, now in his opinion
a mean art, but with the cutting of gems, with working in incavo, and
with architecture; for which having been richly rewarded by the
liberality of that King, he has spent large sums in investments in the
territory of Parma, in order to be able to retire in his old age to the
enjoyment of his native country among his friends and disciples, after
the labours of so many years.
After these masters came another excellent copper-plate engraver,
Lamberto Suave,[15] by whose hand are thirteen plates of Christ and the
twelve Apostles, in which the execution of the engraving is perfect in
its delicacy. If Lamberto had possessed a more thorough mastery of
design in addition to the industry, patience, and diligence that he
showed in all other points, he would have been marvellous in every
respect; as may be perceived clearly from a little sheet of S. Paul
writing, and from a larger sheet with the story of the Raising of
Lazarus, in which there are most beautiful things to be seen. Worthy of
note, in particular, are the hollow rock in the cavern which he
represented as the burial-place of Lazarus, and the light that falls
upon some figures, all of which is executed with beautiful and fanciful
invention.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account