Giuseppe Diamantini

Although he came from Fossombrone in the Marche, Giuseppe Diamantini was one of the leading etchers in Venice in the second half of the Seicento. Having trained in Bologna, where he was apprenticed to Giovanni Andrea Sirani and was greatly influenced by Simone Cantarini, Diamantini settled in Venice around 1662 and spent almost the whole of his life there as a painter and etcher. He produced a quite extensive printed oeuvre, the outstanding features of which are his impetuous, spontaneous style and the atmospheric, painterly effect he achieves. Many of his prints appeared in very small editions, which explains the rarity of the present etching. Diamantini’s artistic signature is highly individual and easily recognisable. In all probability the artist dispensed with any preliminary drawings and etched his compositions straight onto the plate; the linework is correspondingly brisk and uninhibited with the emphasis more on tonal effect than abundant detail. 

Relatively few religious scenes are to be found in Diamantini’s printed oeuvre, which consists essentially of mythological subjects and occasionally quite cryptic, hard-to-interpret allegories – a concetto fully in keeping with the spirit of Venetian Baroque. The present lamentation has been treated in a light, spirited etching style that is remarkable for the religious intensity and strong emotional atmosphere it conveys. Baroni dates the work to after 1663, although it has hitherto proved impossible to establish the identity of the “Reverendissimo V(escovo?)” Gregorio Faro, to whom the work is dedicated. The etching is rare. Baroni records impressions in Berlin, Coburg, Parma, Vienna (two impressions) and Washington as well as in a private collection in Italy. A fine, crisp and even impression with thread margins. In impeccable condition.

9.500 €