Silvestre Pomarede's engraving, “Triumph of Death”, 1750

Silvestre Pomarede (aka Silvio Pomarede) (fl.1740–1760)

“Triumph of Death”, 1750, from the series of four prints, “Triumphs from Petrarch painted by Titian”, after the intermediary drawing by Gianantonio Buti (aka Giovanni Antonio Buti) (fl.c.1750–54) after the painting by Titian (aka Tiziano Vecellio; Tiziano) (1489/90–1576), published in Rome.

Engraving on laid paper trimmed slightly within the plate mark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 38.3 x 51 cm; (image borderline) 34.7 x 50.3 cm

Inscribed on plate within the image borderline with the names of the various figures: “CLEOPATRA …”

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “Titianus pinxit.”; (centre) “Io. Ant. Buti del.”; (right) “Sylv. Pomarede Sculp.”; (below in three lines of Latin) “TRIVMPHVS MORTIS a Francisco Petrarcha versibus elegantissime scriptus, atque in Archetypa Titiani celeberrimi Pictoris Tabula, / quae Domini Ioannis Michilli Romani Iuris est, vivis coloribus ad artis miraculum expressus, heic æri incisus apparet. / Fila hominum vitae nostris cito currite fusis = Dixerunt stabili satorum numine Parcae = Clotho, Atropos, Lachesis, MORS namque agit alta triumphum.”

LeBlanc 1-4 (Ch. Leblanc 1854 [–1889], “Manuel de l'amateur d'estampes, contenant un dictionnaire des graveurs de toutes les nations : ouvrage destiné à faire suite au Manuel du libraire par J.Ch. Brunet”, Paris, vol. 3, p. 227, cat.no. 1-4)

The Wellcome Collection offers the following description of this print:

“Death and three fates on an ox-drawn carriage; historical figures die on the ground beneath; representing the triumph of death. … Cleopatra lies with her asp on the left. Other figures are Hannibal, Pyrrhus, Scipio, Zenobis, Semiramis and Puranus. ‘Carthaginenses et Romani’ is written at the back, in front of the sea”

(https://wellcomecollection.org/works/uzv3vdhx?query=contributors%3A%22Buti%2C%20Gianantonio%22).

Note that the Wellcome Collection proposes that the print references the artist, Bonifacio de' Pitati (aka Bonifacio Veronese) (1487–1553), instead of Titian, but this is unlikely as the print is inscribed on the plate at lower left, “Titianus pinxit.” (i.e. Titian made the painting).

See also the descriptions offered by the Rijksmuseum:

(transl.) “Death, as a skeleton with scythe and crown, together with the three Goddess goddesses (Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos) on a triumphal car pulled by two oxen. Behind the car are the bodies of deceased historical figures, including Cleopatra, Alexander the Great, Hannibal and Scipio Africanus. Caption in Latin in bottom margin.”

(http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.165906)

And the British Museum:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=3025581&partId=1&searchText=Silvestre+POMAR%u00c8DE&page=1

Condition: crisp and well-printed impression with numerous small restorations (viz. chips to the edge, printers’ creases and tears), trimmed slightly within the plate mark and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper.

I am selling this large and rare allegorical engraving showing the skeletal figure of Death banishing his scythe as he rides a mortuary wagon around deceased historical luminaries, for the total cost of AU$242 (currently US$171.69/EUR150.93/GBP129.47 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world (but not, of course, any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this curiously interesting representation of a sway of historical figures cut down by the grim reaper, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.