Orazio de Santis

(called Aquilano, active between 1568 – 1584)

Orazio de Santis’ small printed oeuvre is comprised almost entirely of etchings after designs by the painter and sculptor Pompeo Cesura, called Aquilano, to whom he was possibly related. The lat ter is thought to have been a student of Perino del Vaga and worked his entire life in Rome. De Santis, whose biography is rather incomplete, also received the appelation Aquilano. Working as a publisher and engraver, Orazio must also have spent most of his life in Rome, which is confirmed, for example, by his collaboration with Cherubino Alberti. In stylistic terms, de Santis is a typical representative of late Roman Mannerism. He developed an elegant, fluid and painterly style which was sometimes overrefined to the point of artificiality, combining influences by Parmigianino with elements of the Roman maniera. Aquilano’s engraving style was indebted moreover to the printed work of Giulio Bonasone.