Ferrantes Rosati

Tradition has is that the painter and etcher, Ferrantes Rosati, hailed from Bomarzo not far from the town of Viterbo in the region of Latium. No further details of his life are known. Rosati, who was very probably active in Rome around 1650, left a small printed oeuvre comprising just six etchings, which have been described by Adam von Bartsch and are all very rare. The editions were presumably very small and only from the present sheet is there a second state in existence issued by the Roman publisher, Vincenzo Billy. Most of these sheets are reproductive prints of works by other artists, including Agostino Carracci, Simone Cantarini and Domenico Cerrini. The present etching David with the Head of Goliath, by contrast, is based in all likelihood on one of the artist’s own inventions. The sheet is treated in a light, transparent and very confident manner. David’s lithe elegance stands in stark contrast to the dramatic nature of the subject matter. The whole radiates a lightness that is fully in keeping with the spirit of Italian High Baroque. A very fine, even impression with thread margins. Minor ageing, otherwise in mint condition. From the collection of the Princes of Arenberg (Lugt 567).