Giacomo Maria Giovanni’s etching, “St Benedict”, 1694, after Guido Reni

Giacomo Maria Giovanni (aka Jacomo Jouanninus) (1667–1717)

“St Benedict” (aka “The Inhabitance of the Surroundings of the Desert” [TIB title]; “Les habitans des environs de la solitude de St. Benoît apportant à ce Saint divers présens” [Bartsch title]; “Gåvor till helgonet”; “Gifts for the Saint”), 1694, from the series, “Scenes from Benedict's Life” (aka “Scener ur Benedictus Liv”), after Guido Reni’s (1575–1642) painting, “La Turbana”, proof before later lettering for publication in 1694 in Bologna by the heirs of Antonio Pisarri (gli eredi d'Antonio Pisarri) as an engraved illustration (insert between pages 4–5) to Carlo Cesare Malvasia’s (1616–1693), “Il claustro di S. Michele in Bosco di Bologna: Dipinto dal famoso Lodovico Carracci, e da altri eccellenti maestri uscita dalla sua scola” (The cloister of S. Michele in Bosco in Bologna: Painted by the famous Lodovico Carracci, and by other excellent masters who came out of his school). Archive.org offers and online view of this publication and the context of this print featured in it (including the horizontal publication fold): https://archive.org/details/gri_claustrodism00malv/page/n24/mode/2up.

Etching on laid paper trimmed with a narrow margin around the platemark and backed with a support sheet.

Size: (sheet) 57 x 38.9 cm; 55.7 x 37 cm.

Lifetime impression, proof before lettering for publication.

TIB 43.23 (426) (John T Spike [ed.] 1982, “The Illustrated Bartsch: Italian Masters of the Seventeenth Century, vol. 43, New York, Abaris Books, p. 291, cat. no. 23 [426]).  

The V&A Museum offers the following description of this print: “St. Benedict receiving presents in his hermitage from his followers; From the picture by Guido Reni, called 'La Turbana’“ (https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1154391/st-benedict-print-giovannini-giacomo-maria/). See also the description offered by the National Museum, Stockholm: http://emp-web-84.zetcom.ch/eMP/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=91423&viewType=detailView.

Condition: a well-printed, slightly silvery impression with flattened centre-fold, trimmed close to the image borderline and laid upon a support of archival (millennium quality) washi paper. There are minor handling marks, otherwise the sheet is in a good condition with no tears, holes, significant stains or foxing.

I am selling this large and very beautiful proof-state etching (before lettering with publication details), for AU$376 in total (currently US$278.95/EUR252.20/GBP211.73 at the time of posting this listing) including Express Mail (EMS) 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 grand scale spectacular etching exemplifying the Baroque period style showing country people bringing offerings to St Benedict in the desert, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.

This print has been sold