Giovanni Domenico Picchianti’s engraving, “Portrait of a Young Woman”, c.1715, after Raphael

Giovanni Domenico Picchianti (c.1670–1700s)

“Portrait of a Young Woman” (aka “La Muta”; “Portrait of a Servant Wearing a Cross”—note that this unlikely title may have arisen because the impression of this print held by the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco is inscribed by an old hand advising that the subject is a servant [https://art.famsf.org/giovanni-domenico-picchianti/portrait-servant-wearing-cross-19633036124]), c.1715 (1685-1740), from the series, “Palazzo Granducale in Firenze”, after the intermediary design by Francesco Petrucci (1660–1719), after the painting, “La Muta”, c.1507/8, attributed to Raphael (1483–1520) in the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Urbino (inv. Uffizi 1440; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_of_a_Young_Woman_(La_Muta)).

Etching and engraving on laid paper trimmed unevenly around the platemark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet trimmed unevenly) 40.9 x 28.8 cm; (plate with losses to right edge) 36.6 x 27.3 cm; (image borderline) 32.4 x 25.5 cm.

Lettered on plate below the image borderline: (left) “Raphael Vrb. pinx.”; “Fran Petrucci del.”; (right) I.D.Picchianti Sculp”.

Le Blanc 24 (Charles Le Blanc 1854, “Manuel de l'Amateur d'Estampes 1550–1820”, 4 vols, Paris).

See also: JM Capellen 2001, “Raphael: The Paintings”, vol. 1, “The Beginning in Umbria and Florence ca.1500-1508”, pp. 298-300, no. 46.

The British Museum offers the following description of this print:

“Portrait of a young woman, also known as ‘La Muta’, half-length, turned to the right and looking to the viewer, clasping her hands in her lap; she wears a knotted necklace with a cross and a band on her head; after Raphael”

(https://research.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?ILINK%7C34484%2C%7CassetId=474002001&objectId=1557890&page=1&partId=1&searchText=picchianti).

Condition: a strong impression with restored tears, loss of the lower right corner, trimmed to the plate mark on the right side and laid upon a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. There are no significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this magnificent early engraving in reverse of the famous portrait attributed to Raphael, “La Muta”, for AU$294 in total (currently US$194.90/EUR179.48/GBP150.41 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 subtle Leonardesque portrait with expressive hands—note how (in my reading of this engraving rather than Raphael’s painting) the lady’s finger points firmly to the engraver’s name and how her other hand calmly restrains her enthusiasm—please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.