Salvatore Castiglione’s etching, “Head of an Old Man with Beard”, 1645–1650

Salvatore Castiglione (1620–1676)—brother of Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione (aka Il Grechetto) (1609–1664)

Regarding the attribution of the artist who executed this etching, the Curator of the British Museum offers the following insights:

“Always considered to be by Giovanni Benedetto until 2004, when the correct authorship was established by Jaco Rutgers on the basis of a very early signed impression in Turin (see 'Print Quarterly', XXI 2004, pp.163-4). He also notes that Bellini's state descriptions for this series are in the reverse order to the truth. For a third state wiith extra hatching, see Mathew Norman, Print Quarterly, XXX 2013, p.318.” (https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_W-6-19)

“Head of an Old Man with Beard” (Rijksmuseum title) (aka “Bearded Old Man Wearing Shoulder-Length Headdress, Facing Right” [TIB title]; “Un vieillard à grande barbe, vu de profil …” [Bartsch title]), 1645–1650, from the series of 16 plates (TIB 32–47), “Small Studies of Heads in Oriental Headdress”, printed from the original plate by McCreery in his 1816 edition of “200 Etchings”.

Etching on fine China paper trimmed along the platemark (as published for the McCreery edition) and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 11.2 x 8.2 cm.

State ii (of ii)

TIB 46(21).36(29) (Paolo Bellini [ed.] 1982, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Seventeenth Century”, vol 46, New York, Abaris Books, p. 46, cat. no 36 [29]); Bellini 1982 27 (Paolo Bellini 1982, “L'Opera incisa di Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione”, Milan, Comune di Milano, p. 112–113, cat. 27); Bartsch XXI.29.36 (Adam Bartsch 1803, “Le Peintre Graveur”, Vienna).

The British Museum and the Rijksmuseum offer descriptions of this print:

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1871-0812-30;

http://hdl.handle.net/10934/RM0001.COLLECT.34972.

Condition: a well-printed impression with no sign of wear to the printing plate, trimmed along the platemark and laid upon an archival support sheet of millennium quality washi paper. The sheet is in an excellent condition with no tears, holes, folds, abrasions, stains, foxing or signs of handling.

I am selling this superb etching by the brother of the inventor of the monotype for AU$325 (currently US$250.43/EUR204/GBP184.21 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 very beautifual study of an elderly man’s head showing the artist’s amazing skill in suggesting the form and silvery sheen of the man’s beard and his quiet reflective mindset in a minimal number of strokes, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.