Portrait of Andrea Palladio in half-length within an oval frame; a compass, carpenter's square, and plumb line rest on the plinth below the oval
Original title: Portrait of Andrea Palladio in half-length within an oval frame; a compass, carpenter's square, and plumb line rest on the plinth below the oval, from an unidentified edition of "Architecture de Palladio", revised by Giacomo Leoni and translated by Nicholas du Bois
kurzbeschreibung
An oval frame encloses the half-length portrait of Andrea Palladio, engraved by Bernard Picart in 1716. Below the oval, on a pedestal, architect's tools are arranged, alluding to the sitter's profession. The print is executed as a copper engraving.
Description
Palladio looks to the left, his head covered with a cloth, the sleeves of his shirt pushed up. His face carries a thoughtful expression. Beneath the oval frame, on a pedestal, lie a compass, a building block, and a plumb line. Along the lower edge of the image runs the inscription in Latin letters: 'ANDREAS PALLADIUS VICENTINUS'.
Context
This engraving was made in 1716 as the frontispiece for an edition of 'Architecture de Palladio', edited by Giacomo Leoni and translated into English by Nicholas du Bois. Bernard Picart, a renowned French engraver, was known for his precise reproductions of architectural works. The accompanying tools emphasize Palladio's activity as a practicing architect.
Impact
The thoughtful portrait and the symbolic tools together create an atmosphere of intellectual creativity. The oval frame lends the print a classicist elegance that matches Palladio's architectural legacy.
Technique
In this copper engraving, lines are incised into a copper plate and then printed on paper. Fine hatching creates graduated areas of light and shadow, bringing the portrait into spatial relief.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)