Marcantonio Bellavia's etching, “Five Children, One of The Playing a Tambourine”, c1670

Marcantonio Bellavia (fl.1668–1670)

“Five Children, One of The Playing a Tambourine” (TIB title) (aka “Trois enfants marchant de fil dont l’un joue du tambourin. Deux autres enfans se font remarquer dans le fond à gauche.” [Bartsch title]; “Amoretti”), 1660–1680, plate 32 after Annibale Carracci (1560–1609) (as inscribed on plate, “A.C.IN[vent]”). Originally published by Vincenzo Belli in the early 1700s, this impression was published later in the 1700s in Rome by Venanzio Monaldini (fl.1765–1819) along with 37 other prints by Bellavia in “Different Thoughts etched and carved by Anibale Caracci” (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcantonio_Bellavia)

Note: The British Museum advises: “His plates are all from his own designs, although later publishers added the name of the Carracci to many of them” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/search_the_collection_database/term_details.aspx?bioId=132754). Regarding the inscription on this plate, the BN notes that the inscribed attribution to AC is wrong.

Etching on laid paper with wide margins and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 30 x 22.8 cm; (plate) 10 x 10 cm.

Inscribed on plate along lower edge: (left) (with incorrect attribution according to the BM) “A.C. IN.”; (right) “XXXII”.

State ii (of ii) with the addition of the plate number replacing the erased letters “MAF” (for “Marcantonio Bellavia Fecit”).

TIB 41(20). 44(18) (Palao Bellini & Mark Carter Leach [eds.] 1983, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Seventeenth Century”, vol. 41, New York, Abaris Books, p. 49, cat. no. 44); Bartsch XX.18.

The Museum of Fine Art in Budapest offers a marvellous collection of prints by Marcantonio Bellavia including this print (see http://printsanddrawings.hu/search/prints/8994/).

Condition: excellent impression with wide margins around the plate-mark and laid on a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. The sheet is in good condition for its considerable age (i.e. there are no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, significant stains or foxing, but there are handling marks/age toning at the margin edges).

I am selling this small etching featuring a lively and noisy procession of amoretti for the total cost of AU$306 (currently US$205.87/EUR185.71/GBP168.73 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 visually engaging scene from the late 1600s, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.