Graphics
by Andrea MANTEGNA

Mantegna was the first major painter in Italy to involve himself in printing techniques. Copperplate, which had been developed in southern Germany around 1430 made it possible to produce finer reproductions than with woodcuts, which had been used until then. Vasari described Mantegna as the decisive influence in the development of copperplate engraving in Italy. Although Mantegna was happy to experiment with the new medium, he left the reproduction of his works to professional engravers, of whose works he was highly critical. Printing enabled Mantegna to earn extra money, and to disseminate his creative inventions.

Drawing and printing were also an area where new ideas could be tried out. Albrecht Dürer, who was to be the most important graphic artist of the early 16th century, was particularly interested in Mantegna's engravings. He became acquainted with graphic works by Mantegna during his journeys to Italy, and he copied two of Mantegna's engravings, the Battle of the Sea Gods, and the Bacchanalia with a Wine Vat. These fine drawings in the Albertina, Vienna are proof of the great respect the young Dürer had for the older master, as well as testimony to the success of Mantegna's engravings.

Preview Picture Data Info
Bacchanalia with a Wine Vat
c. 1470
Copperplate engraving, 335 x 455 mm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York


Portrait of a Man
1470-75
Black chalk on discoloured grayish brown paper, 342 x 250 mm
Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie, Besançon


Portrait of a Man
1470-75
Black chalk on discoloured grayish brown paper, 339 x 235 mm
Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie, Besançon


Self-portrait in the style of Medusa
c. 1474
Pen, brush, part iron gall ink, browned white paper, 124 x 99 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence


Battle of the Sea Gods
1470s
Engraving and drypoint, 283 x 826 mm
Devonshire Collection, Chatsworth


Battle of Two Sea Monsters
c. 1475
Engraving
Gabinetto Nazionale delle Stampe, Rome


Battle of the Sea Gods
c. 1493
Engraving, 295 x 397 mm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York


Virgin and Child
1480-85
Engraving, 262 x 233 mm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York


Virgin and Child
1490-91
Engraving, 217 x 189 mm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg


Virgin and Child
1475-80
Engraving, 390 x 282 mm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam


Judith
1491
Drawing, 388 x 258 mm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence


Francesco II Gonzaga
1490s
Black chalk, highlighting with brush, and white gouach on greenish paper, 347 x 328 mm
National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin


The Calumny of Apelles
1504-06
Pen and ink, 206 x 379 mm
British Museum, London


Statue of Virgil
1490s
Drawing
Musée du Louvre, Paris



Paintings by Andrea Mantegna
Paintings before 1460
Ovetari Chapel | San Luca Polyptych | San Zeno Polyptych
1460s | 1470s-80s | 1490s | 1500-06
Castello di San Giorgio | Camera degli Sposi | Triumphs of Caesar
Graphics | Sculptures



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