The Three Graces sitting on clouds, cupid at the left, after Raphael's fresco in the Chigi Gallery of the Villa Farnesina in Rome
Original title: The Three Graces sitting on clouds, cupid at the left, after Raphael's fresco in the Chigi Gallery of the Villa Farnesina in Rome
kurzbeschreibung
Marcantonio Raimondi engraved this print around 1517–20. It shows the three Graces reclining on clouds, with Cupid at the left. The source was Raphael's fresco in the Chigi Gallery of the Villa Farnesina in Rome.
Description
Three nude women rest on clouds, arranged in a loose semicircle that gives the image a calm, balanced structure. Each figure has her own hairstyle and attributes, which lend her a distinct character. Above the women, at the left, hovers a winged figure, an angel. The background stays empty, so the bodies come fully to the fore. Worked in black and white with sharply drawn contours, the sheet reads as clear, graphic line.
Context
Raimondi, an engraver of the Italian Renaissance, became known above all for his reproductions after Raphael. Raphael had painted the fresco in the Chigi Gallery of the Villa Farnesina for the banker Agostino Chigi. Raimondi's engraving dates from around 1517–20, his Roman years, when he was in close contact with the painter. The motif of the Graces goes back to antiquity and took on new meaning in the Renaissance.
Impact
Balanced and quiet, the print stands out, largely because of its symmetrical arrangement and composed lines. Crisp contours and a rendering limited to a few shades of grey give the engraving a classical elegance that holds up beyond its own time.
Technique
The lines were cut into a copper plate and then printed on paper. The precision of Raimondi's touch shows in the sharply drawn strokes and the finely graded shading. All tonal values arise solely from the density and spacing of the hatching, with no added means.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)