Carlo LASINIO

(1759 Treviso – 1838 Pisa)

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Portrait of Jean-Étienne Liotard – before 1789

Colour mezzotint printed with two plates, with touches of hand colouring on light blue watermarked laid paper. Size of sheet: 27 x 21 cm. From the first edition of his series “Ritratti Originali de Pittori Esistenti Nella Reale Galleria de Firenze”.

Provenance: Arsène Bonafous-Murat where acquired 03.10.1996; thence by descent.

Excellent impression of this rare print.

Carlo Lasinio: Portrait of Jean-Étienne Liotard

Carlo Lasinio learned how to use the printing method of colour engraving from Edouard Gautier-Dagoty (1744-1783) who moved to Florence in 1782.

After several successful trials, Lasinio delved into the project of engraving self-portraits of artists that hung in the Uffizzi Gallery in Florence.

As did Dagoty in his prints, Lasinio highlighted the first edition of prints with gouache and white lead to give his engravings velvety transparency, the rococo colouring. These early impressions were printed in limited numbers as the press, after a few trials, crushed the engraved background. The prints were sold loose and many were glued to the canvas or album sheets and then varnished. So not many survived. The printing of the engravings with Gautier-Dagoty method was very expensive and therefore not very profitable. Soon, Lasinio changed his method to make the production faster and more lucrative.

Carlo Lasinio: Portrait of Jean-Étienne Liotard

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