Benvenuto Maria Disertori

Benvenuto Maria Disertori was a versatile, cultured personality who, in addition to a successful career as a musicologist, was one of the foremost printmakers of the early Novecento in Italy. From 1931 to 1960 he also held an influential teaching position as professor of graphic arts at Milan’s Accademia di Brera.

This fascinating, detailed veduta shows a view of medieval Rome. As his vantage point the artist has taken the eastern porch of the monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, which was still unfinished at the time the etching was made. Rising up on the left is the striking silhouette of the medieval Torre delle Milizie. Disertori’s delicate, highly concentrated etching technique with its varied, almost ornamental hatching patterns gives the scene a peculiar charm and poetic feel. The artist depicts a medieval stone town whose winding alleys are reminiscent of cities in central Italy such as Siena and Perugia. This is an early impression before letters. Another impression of this state is in the Public Library in New York. A superb, rich impression with even margins. Minor staining and ageing, otherwise in excellent condition.