which were engraved in such a manner that all Rome was thro wn into amazement. After this the Slaughter of the Innocents, with its beautiful nude figures of women and children, was likewise engraved, and was in truth a remarkable work; next came the Neptune, with small stories of Eneas around it; the very beautiful Rape of Helen, also after a drawing by Raphael; and another in which was seen the death of Santa Felicita, who is in the act of being martyrized by means of boiling oil, while her Children are decapitated.[1]
All these works acquired much fame for Marcantonio; his engravings were much more highly esteemed than those of the Flemings, in consideration of the superior beauty of their design, and the merchants made large gains by the sale of them. Now Raphael had for many years had a young man called Baviera with him, who was employed in the grinding of colours, and as he had also acquired some knowledge of art, Raphael commanded that Marcantonio should make the engravings, but that Baviera should take the impressions, to the end that his works might be thus all finished, seeing that he was selling these prints, both in the gross and in detail, to whomsoever might desire to have them. Having set hard to the work accordingly, they struck off vast numbers, which brought very great gains to the master; and all these plates were signed with the letters R. S. for the name of Raphael Sanzio, and M. F.[2] for that of Marcantonio.[3]
The works thus executed were as follows. A Venus with Cupid who is embracing his mother, designed by Raphael; a picture wherein the Almighty Father confers his Benediction on the posterity of Abraham, and in this is seen the Handmaid with two children;[4] all the circular pictures which
- ↑ For the Legend of this saint see Mrs. Jameson’s Sacred and Legendary Art, vol. ii. p. 266. See also Richa, Chiese Fiorentine.
- ↑ For the monograms of these and other masters, see Bryan and Brulliot, as before cited.
- ↑ The best and richest collections of Marcantonio Raimondi’s engraving are those of the Biblioteque Royale at Paris, and of the Gaudio Cabinet in Padua; for a description of the latter, which has 360 engravings, see Marsand, Fiore dell’Arte d’Intaglio, Padua, 1823.
- ↑ Zani, Encyclopedia Metodica, considers this work to be not the Benediction of Abraham, but Noah commanded to build the Ark; the female figure, and the three, not two, children, are supposed to represent the wife and sons of Noah.
